MORGAN COUNTY
A South Carolina man avoided several sets of stop sticks as he fled through Morgan and Greene counties July 16, but Morgan deputies were able to end the chase before he reached neighboring Walton and Newtown counties.
Bryon Jerrod Keitt, 36, of Orangeburg, SC., is charged with three counts of aggravated assault, two counts of obstruction, one count of felony fleeing or attempting to elude, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, failure to maintain lane, reckless driving, aggressive driving and failure to signal a lane change.
Deputies from other agencies had reported that Keitt’s vehicle, with South Carolina plates, was all over the roadway and had nearly hit several vehicles while traveling at speeds up to 130 mph.
Morgan County Deputy Derek Snead got involved in the case near the Madison exits and decided to move around Keitt’s vehicle and spin him out for the safety of motorists on the interstate ahead as the chase persisted. Keitt then deliberately rammed into the right side of Snead’s vehicle at approximately 90 mph in an apparent attempt to run Snead off the road, according to reports.
However, Snead was able to stay in front of Keitt’s Cadillac, so Keitt rammed the rear of Snead’s patrol unit twice in a second attempt to run Snead off the road.
Morgan County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Brandon Sellers authorized deputies to end the pursuit after Keitt had rammed Snead’s Tahoe.
Deputy Patrick Carey, who had been involved in the pursuit since it crossed into Morgan County near the Park’s Mill Road bridge, accelerated and made contact with the Cadillac’s rear bumper in order to disrupt Keitt’s focus on assaulting Snead.
Carey then maneuvered his vehicle to the right and made contact with the Cadillac’s bumper, which caused the rear tires of the Cadillac to lose traction and swerve to the left into the median where it overturned and rolled multiple times while traveling at 75-80 mph.
Carey got out of his vehicle with his weapon drawn and approached the Cadillac along with Snead, Deputy Blake Rowe, and Greene County deputies.
Keitt was removed from the vehicle through its broken sunroof and arrested. A pistol was found inside Keitt’s vehicle. According to reports, Keitt refused medical aid or treatment and was then transported to the Morgan County jail.