Family grieving after woman dies in car that crashed avoiding police

PAGELAND, S.C. — A single-car crash following a police chase on New Year’s Eve in Chesterfield County killed a woman passenger, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

Neighbors near the wreck, south of Pageland, said the crash was so violent that the car went through a yard and into a wooded area beyond the roadway.

The victim in the crash was an innocent passenger, 28-year-old Ashley McClendon, her family told Channel 9.

“It’s a pain that I can’t even explain,” Loretta Gaddy, McClendon’s older sister, said.

Her family is still coming to grips with the loss and they don’t understand why the driver was running from police.

“I’m still not believing it’s true,” Gaddy said. “Every time I close my eyes, I just see her.”

McClendon, a twin who had a deep love for family, had just spent time with them on New Year’s Eve.

“This here was a heartbreaker,” Gaddy said. “Ashley was sweet as she could be. She loved everybody.”

The family said McClendon’s boyfriend, 33-year-old Marcus Allen Davis, was driving the 1996 Ford Coupe back to Pageland before the crash.

A Pageland police official told Channel 9 one of their officers saw the car run a stop sign before midnight on Dec. 31. They said a traffic stop was attempted, but Davis refused to stop.

As the car fled down South Pearl Street near Tory Road it left the road and struck a tree, police said. They said there was no contact between the officer’s patrol car and the suspect’s car.

Davis was injured and taken to a local hospital, according to police.

“When they were chasing him, he was going about 85 mph, but by the time they lost track of him, he was already driving over 100 mph,” police said.

One day earlier, in Lancaster County, a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) investigation ended in a fatal crash following a chase.

SLED said its agents were attempting to serve an arrest warrant for burglary on Terrance James Moore, when he attempted to run from officers with three other people in the car.

The car crashed on Bethel Boat Road Landing in Lancaster. A passenger, Ny’Darius McKinney, 21, was killed and the other three people in the car were transported to the hospital with injuries.

South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating both crashes. They wouldn’t comment on the details of either crash.

Channel 9 asked SLED and Pageland police about the chase protocol in both cases and didn’t receive a response as of Monday afternoon.

Check wsoctv.com for updates.

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