What Really Happened on I-26? The Questions Behind South Carolina’s Most Shocking Police Chase of 2024

The trouble began where countless 911 calls originate—a QuikTrip on Asheville Highway in Spartanburg. But this wasn’t a robbery or assault. Witnesses reported a man experiencing what appeared to be a severe mental health episode. When Spartanburg County deputies arrived around 9 p.m., their mission was clear: de-escalate, assess, and connect him with psychiatric resources. No one anticipated what would happen next.

At 9:45 p.m., something went catastrophically wrong. William Waters, 34, allegedly slipped into a deputy’s patrol car—a vehicle supposedly secured. In that instant, a welfare call became a felony in progress. As Waters hit the accelerator, deputies rushed to intervene. The open driver’s door swung violently, striking one officer with enough force to briefly drag him before he broke free. Miraculously, that deputy survived with minor injuries. But the nightmare was just beginning.

The stolen squad car—with its emergency lights still flashing—launched a pursuit that turned I-26 into a high-speed danger zone. Waters allegedly sped through Spartanburg, Laurens, and Newberry counties as jurisdictional lines blurred and multiple agencies merged their efforts. For nearly an hour, dispatchers coordinated a chase that stretched over 70 miles, with deputies risking everything to stop the runaway cruiser.

Near mile marker 53, the pursuit turned tragic. A deputy pursuing Waters lost control and crashed catastrophically, requiring emergency crews to cut through metal to free the trapped officer. Airlifted to Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, the deputy is expected to recover fully, but the South Carolina Highway Patrol’s investigation into the crash continues. What caused the wreck? Speed? Road conditions? Or the inherent dangers of high-speed pursuits? The answers remain pending.

Waters, now in Spartanburg County Detention Center, faces charges that could imprison him for years: grand larceny of a vehicle worth over $10,000, failure to stop for blue lights, and refusing a DUI test. Court records show a prior DUI conviction from 2014, suggesting possible substance abuse history. But what triggered Saturday’s meltdown? Friends and family have declined to comment, leaving his mental state and motivations shrouded in mystery.

When Waters faced the judge early Sunday morning, the hearing exploded into chaos. Court officials confirm Waters repeatedly interrupted proceedings with outbursts so disruptive that judicial staff removed him from the courtroom. The judge’s response was swift: 15 days in jail for contempt plus a $500 fine. Bond remains pending as prosecutors build their case. legal experts watching the case ask: was this courtroom behavior evidence of untreated mental illness, or simply defiance?

The incident has reignited fierce debate about mental health emergency response in South Carolina. Mental health advocates point to this tragedy as proof law enforcement shouldn’t be primary responders to psychiatric crises. “This didn’t have to happen,” one local professional stated anonymously. “When someone’s in crisis, introducing weapons and patrol cars escalates trauma into violence. We need crisis teams, not just badges.”

Multiple investigations continue, but key questions haunt those involved:

While Waters serves his contempt sentence, prosecutors prepare a case that could lock him away for years. The injured deputy faces months of physical therapy and psychological recovery. For the QuikTrip clerk who called for help, the trauma of watching a wellness check explode into chaos lingers. The families of all involved will grapple with Saturday’s events far longer than the hour it took Waters to travel 70 miles down I-26.

For now, the highway bears no scars from the chase. But the invisible wounds—on deputies, on mental health advocates, on a community demanding answers—are just beginning to surface. The real question isn’t just what happened, but whether South Carolina will learn from it before the next crisis call becomes the next catastrophe.