Armed juvenile shot by deputies, others are bitten by police dogs in chase, SC cops say

The Richland County Sheriff’s Department said it has launched an investigation after some deputies shot a juvenile who was armed with a handgun, and two other minors were bitten by police dogs.

The shooting happened Sunday, the sheriff’s department said in a news release.

At about 5 p.m., deputies saw a vehicle that was reported stolen in Lexington, according to the release.

The deputies tried pulling over the vehicle near Penn Ridge Court, but the driver refused to obey the traffic stop and initiated a short chase, the sheriff’s department said.

The vehicle stopped when it crashed into a traffic sign near Oak Manor Drive in the Carriage Oaks subdivision, and the three juveniles ran from it, according to the release. That’s in Columbia, about a mile from where the pursuit began, in the area near Summit Parkway and Clemson Road.

The driver was captured by K9 Jax and one passenger was captured by K9 Nevada, according to the release. The third minor jumped over a fence and when told to stop pulled out a handgun and was shot multiple times, the sheriff’s department said.

All three juveniles were taken to the hospital with injuries — two for dog bites and one for gunshot wounds, according to the release. Further information on the juveniles’ conditions was not available.

A pistol was recovered at the scene, and all three will face multiple charges, the sheriff’s department said. Information about the specific charges and the juveniles’ ages was not available.

The sheriff’s department said more information will be made available when a news conference is held by Sheriff Leon Lott at noon Monday.