By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com

PICKENS — A juvenile was taken into custody after authorities said he rammed a Pickens Police Department vehicle during a chase Sunday morning.

According to a PPD release issued Sunday, at 5:09 a.m. that morning the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a gun being fired outside Pickens city limits.

Upon arrival, the initial deputy encountered a vehicle that immediately fled the scene, prompting a pursuit, the release said.

The vehicle, which was later confirmed to have been stolen out of Greenville the previous day, led the deputy into the city of Pickens, where PPD officers joined the pursuit, according to the release.

At one point, officers believed the vehicle to be contained in a business parking lot, but the driver continued to flee, causing property damage and nearly striking deputies who were on foot, the release said, adding that the driver disregarded the presence, commands and emergency equipment of the deputies.

According to the release, the driver intentionally rammed a Pickens officer’s vehicle twice “in an attempt to evade apprehension.”

Losing control of the vehicle on John Street, the driver then fled on foot, continuing to actively resist officers and deputies, the release said. Authorities said a Taser was deployed, but proved ineffective before officers took the suspect into custody shortly afterward.

The suspect, a juvenile whose name was not released because of their age, was found to be armed with a handgun “with an obliterated serial number,” the release said.

The release said as part of a subsequent joint investigation between the Pickens PD and PCSO, a search warrant was executed, “which led to the recovery of additional evidence related to an unrelated firearms theft and a small quantity of narcotics.”

An investigation with the PCSO, Greenville Police Department and S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice remains ongoing, the release said.