Watch S.C. Police Officers Pursue Excavator in 3 MPH Chase

June 12, 2025

North Charleston police were responding to a burglar alarm, and when they reached the scene, they found a building with significant damage and spotted a suspicious excavator that refused to stop.

Joe Vince

South Carolina police were caught in a slow speed chase of a stolen excavator this week after the suspect caused thousands of dollars damage before he was arrested after a pursuit of over an hour.

The incident happened early Sunday when North Charleston police were responding to a burglar alarm, the department stated in a social media post. When officers reached the scene, they noticed significant damage to the building and saw a suspicious excavator traveling on the highway.

Police tried to pull over the heavy piece of construction equipment, but the operator refused to stop. That kicked off a chase that lasted for over an hour and only reached roughly 3 mph, according to The (Charleston) Post and Courier.

"Due to the unusual circumstances of the pursuit our SWAT and Drone teams were notified and deployed," the department stated.

Finally, the suspect stopped the excavator and fled on foot into a wooded area at the Charleston County Fairgrounds. A K-9 was deployed, and the suspect was apprehended.

No one was injured in the incident, and the suspect faces multiple charges.

"The moral of the story: You can’t get away from NCPD, especially if you’re operating an excavator," the department stated.

About the Author

Joe Vince

Joining Endeavor Business Media in 2018, Joe has worked on the company's city services publications. He began working at OFFICER.com as the assistant editor. Before starting at Endeavor, Joe had worked for a variety of print and online news outlets, including the Indianapolis Star, the South Bend Tribune, Reddit and Patch.com.