The Latest:
The York County Coroner’s Office released the names of the two people killed in this accident.
The driver has been identified as 27-year-old Tyland Archer, of Kannapolis, and the passenger has been identified as 21-year-old Justin Villanueva, of Charlotte.
Read below for full details on the accident.
Original Story (Posted February 16, 2024):
ROCK HILL, S.C. — Police say two people were killed in an accident after the driver took off from officers during a traffic stop in Rock Hill.
Authorities say a Rock Hill Police officer initiated a traffic stop on a Dodge Challenger for defective lights around 10:45pm on Thursday, February 15th as the vehicle turned left onto Harper Gault Road from Saluda Road.
The driver of the Challenger is accused of accelerating the vehicle and showed no intention of stopping, according to a news release. The officer activated their siren and blue lights but police say the driver of the Challenger continued to accelerate the vehicle.
The officer cut off all emergency equipment and began slowing down, not engaging in a pursuit of the vehicle, according to a news release.
Authorities say as the officer came to the intersection of Harper Gault Road and Oakdale Road, the Challenger was found wrecked in the wood line.
The driver of the vehicle was entrapped, and the passenger was located nearby after being ejected from the vehicle, according to a news release.
Due to the injuries from the wreck, the passenger was pronounced dead on the scene. The driver was flown to Atrium where he was pronounced deceased.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol Multi-Disciplinary Accident Investigation Team was notified to conduct an independent investigation of the wreck. The Rock Hill Police Department Serious Traffic Accident Reconstruction Team responded as well to investigate for internal review.
Through the course of the investigation, police say they discovered the Challenger was listed as stolen from another jurisdiction. Officials have not released the names of the two people killed in the crash.
