Sheriff Leon Lott announces the arrest of 18-year-old Jaquice Williams following a crash that killed two women.
In the early morning hours of July 17, a Richland County deputy spotted a vehicle that was reported stolen out of the City of Columbia. When he attempted to make a traffic stop on Mallet Hill Road, the driver fled. The deputy lost sight of the vehicle as he approached Polo Road. As deputies circulated the area to find the vehicle, they were notified by dispatch that a vehicle had crashed at 811 Mallet Hill Road and was on fire.
The first deputies on scene used an extinguisher to put out the fire and attempted to render aid to the individuals involved.
Two passengers in the vehicle were killed in the crash. Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford previously identified the two passengers as Makiya Alford, 21, of West Columbia, and Keyona Bryant, 19, of Columbia. Williams, the driver, was injured in the crash and taken to the hospital.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol assisted in the collision investigation.
Williams was arrested by the Columbia Police Department one month prior on June 7 for discharging a firearm and unlawful carry of a weapon. He was released on bond the next day.“
This man’s lawlessness cost two young people their lives,” Sheriff Lott said. “He should not have been on the streets in the first place. Another criminal, out on bond, terrorizing our community.”
Williams was booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center on August 4 for two counts of reckless homicide, two counts of failure to stop for blue lights resulting in death, and possession of a stolen vehicle