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Stephen B. Swears

Age : 56

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 04/15/2021

Location : U.S. Highway 15 near Fox Run Road

City : St. George

County : Dorchester

State : South Carolina

Agency : St. George Police Department

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Driver killed in police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

REASON FOR CHASE: The U.S. Marshals Service was searching for Stephen B. Swears in connection with a kidnapping charge out of West Palm Beach, Florida, and notified local law enforcement that he was traveling north on Interstate 95. St. George Police Department officers located his Ford Mustang near mile marker 74. When an officer attempted a traffic stop shortly before Exit 82, Swears continued away at high speed and police pursued.
NARRATIVE:
On 04/15/2021, 56-year-old Stephen B. Swears of Boynton Beach, Florida, was killed when the 2013 Ford Mustang he was driving crossed into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with an uninvolved Ford Fusion during a St. George Police Department pursuit in Dorchester County, South Carolina.
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The U.S. Marshals Service was searching for Swears in connection with a kidnapping charge out of West Palm Beach, Florida. Authorities notified police along Interstate 95 that Swears was traveling north and had already passed Yemassee toward Walterboro. St. George police were asked to assist in locating him.
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A St. George police officer located Swears' Mustang on Interstate 95 near mile marker 74. Police attempted to stop the Mustang shortly before Exit 82, but Swears continued away and a pursuit began.
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According to the St. George Police Department, the police chief and two officers pursued Swears for approximately 20 minutes. The pursuit traveled into Orangeburg County before returning to Dorchester County and continuing along U.S. Highway 15.
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Swears was traveling south on U.S. Highway 15 near Fox Run Road as the pursuit continued. According to the South Carolina Highway Patrol, the Mustang ran off the edge of the roadway, Swears lost control, and the car crossed into the northbound lanes.
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The Mustang then collided head-on with a northbound 2012 Ford Fusion whose driver was not involved in the pursuit. The impact killed Swears. The driver of the Ford Fusion survived and was transported to a hospital. Highway Patrol reported that both drivers had been wearing seat belts.
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Dorchester County Coroner Paul J. Brouthers pronounced Swears dead at the crash scene at approximately 1:30 p.m. Brouthers publicly identified him the following day as 56-year-old Stephen B. Swears of Boynton Beach, Florida, and ordered an autopsy at the Medical University of South Carolina.
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The South Carolina Highway Patrol and Dorchester County Coroner's Office investigated the fatal collision. Contemporary reports from Live 5 News and ABC News 4 independently documented that the crash occurred during a St. George Police Department pursuit.
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The 04/15/2021 Dorchester County fatality documented by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System corresponds with the independently documented death of Stephen B. Swears during this police pursuit.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.live5news.com/2021/04/16/coroner-identifies-kidnapping-suspect-killed-head-on-collision-dorchester-co-during-chase/
https://www.live5news.com/2021/04/15/troopers-driver-being-chased-by-police-killed-after-crashing-into-motorist-dorchester-co/
https://abcnews4.com/news/local/driver-running-from-police-dies-in-dorchester-county-crash-per-highway-patrol
https://www.nhtsa.gov/research-data/fatality-analysis-reporting-system-fars