Midlands man who led police on high-speed chase into Columbia identified by coroner

A driver who led police on a high-speed chase across the Midlands Monday was killed in a crash that left another person hospitalized, South Carolina law enforcement officials said.

William Bowie, a 44-year-old Newberry resident, is the driver who died in the high-speed pursuit, Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford said Tuesday.

The pursuit began in Cayce and ended with a collision in Columbia, according to the Cayce Police Department.

The collision happened at about 4 p.m. at the intersection of Pineview and Shop roads, said Lance Cpl. Nick Pye of the South Carolina Highway Patrol. That’s in Richland County, near Exit 6 on Interstate 77, and about 6 miles from downtown Columbia.

The Highway Patrol said it was a three-vehicle collision, but Cayce police said only two vehicles were involved in the crash.

In the 200 block of Charleston Highway in Cayce, officers tried a traffic stop on a vehicle, later identified as a 2008 Infiniti sedan, police said. The Infiniti matched the description of a car driven by Bowie, who was wanted in Cayce and Richland County for larceny, burglary, breach of trust, and thefts from multiple vehicles parked at a Cayce business — Fleet Truck Repair — on Sunday night, police said.

Rather than pull over, Bowie attempted to escape law enforcement officers and was traveling at high speeds, according to police. There was no word how fast the vehicles were going in the chase.

Bowie got on Interstate 26 at Exit 115, then got off at Exit at 119, before returning to I-26 at Exit 119, took the juncture with Interstate 77 west, took Exit 5/Bluff Road off I-77 and made a left onto Pineview Road, according to police.

After leading the chase for more than 15 miles from Lexington County to Richland County, Bowie headed north on Pineview Road and ran a red light at the intersection with Shop Road, law enforcement officers said. The Infiniti crashed into a 2015 Kia sedan and a 2021 Dodge SUV that were driving in opposite directions on Shop Road, according to Pye.

Bowie died at the scene, police said.

The Kia driver was injured and had to be taken to Prisma Health Richland hospital, according to Pye. Police said the other driver’s injuries were not life threatening, but further information on that driver’s condition was not available.

Pye said the Dodge driver was not hurt, and no other injuries were reported. But the Richland County intersection was temporarily blocked, police said.

There was no word if any of the drivers involved in the collision wore seat belts.

The Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.

“It is very disturbing when suspects decide to not stop for police; especially ones who are career criminals. Bowie’s background has varied from drugs to burglary to auto break-ins and grand larceny dating back 20 years,” Cayce Police Chief Chris Cowan said in a news release. “It is inexcusable for someone to disregard the law and refuse to stop for blue lights and sirens.”

Through Friday, 536 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2022, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,194 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.

At least 34 people have been killed in Richland County crashes in 2022, according to DPS. There were 73 deaths there last year, DPS data shows.