Driver Dies After Police Chase Ends in Wreck

A 27-year-old Gaston man is dead after he fled from police Sunday and crashed his SUV into a tree, according to the Lexington Police Department.

Corey C. Register died in the hospital Tuesday from injuries he sustained in the crash. Police say Register was drunk at the time of the crash. 

An officer initiated a traffic stop on the Jeep Cherokee Register was driving around 1:15 a.m. Sunday in the 200 block of Columbia Avenue, according to the police department. The officer suspected the driver, later identified as Register, was drunk and could see he was not wearing a seatbelt. 

Register turned into the parking lot of McDonald's at 250 Columbia Avenue, according to police. He slowly drove through the parking lot to the drive-thru lane and appeared to be stopping. 

But Register kept driving until he reached the West Main Street exit, according to police. He then sped out of the parking lot onto West Main Street and didn't stop when the officer initiated his siren and blue lights. 

Register drove westbound on West Main and made a right turn onto Park Road, where he accelerated to a high speed, according to police. The SUV then ran off the road and hit a tree at the intersection of Park Road and Brookhill West. 

Register was transported by Lexington County EMS to Richland Memorial Hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to police. He died Tuesday.

Register was driving under suspension for various violations at the time of the crash, according to police. He also had two previous convictions for failure to stop for police.    

The crash remains under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol MAIT team.