SC inmate out of jail for an hour steals car, leads police on pursuit

Andrew Dys The Herald (Rock Hill, S.C.)

YORK COUNTY, SC — A former York County inmate, out of jail for just over an hour, stole a car from a lot near the jail and led police on an interstate chase into Charlotte, deputies said.

Brandon Tyre Steele, 27, of Charlotte, was arrested Sunday by Charlotte-Mecklenburg police, said Trent Faris, spokesman for the York County Sheriff’s Office.

Steele was released from the York County jail around 10 a.m. Friday, after serving 30 days for shoplifting and larceny charges, according to police, court and jail records. Steele pleaded guilty to both charges, court records show.

Around 11 a.m. Friday, a Chevrolet Malibu was stolen from a used car lot just yards from the jail in York, Faris said.

Deputies near Rock Hill saw the car and started a pursuit on Celanese Road and Interstate 77 north that went into North Carolina, according to incident reports.

The chase ended around the Nations Ford Road exit of I-77 in Charlotte after the car exited the highway, police said.

The car was later found in Charlotte.

Steele was picked up by a special investigations unit of Charlotte police officers around 8:30 a.m. Sunday.

Steele remains in the Mecklenburg County jail, pending extradition back to York County, said Faris.

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©2019 The Herald (Rock Hill, S.C.)