SUMMERVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA — A South Carolina deputy has been placed on leave after ramming his car into a motorcycle, causing the rider to crash and die. <br /> <br />WCSC reports that Deputy James Vansant spotted the motorcycle speeding just before midnight on April 19 and tried to pull the rider over. <br /> <br />The biker refused to stop and instead sped up, prompting the deputy to give chase. <br /> <br />Dashcam video released by the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office shows the five-and-a-half-minute pursuit that covered nearly eight miles. <br /> <br />Near the end of the footage, the police cruiser is inches away from the suspect and can be seen ramming into his motorcycle twice. <br /> <br />After the second collision, the bike is thrown slightly forward and becomes unsteady. It passes between a stationary vehicle and the sidewalk but soon crashes. <br /> <br />The 30-year-old suspect, later identified as Robert Lee Clark Jr., wasn’t wearing a helmet, and died at the scene. <br /> <br />Police later found two ounces of marijuana, a marijuana cigarette and a pipe on his body. <br /> <br />The sheriff’s office claimed in a statement that the crash resulted from the rider missing a gear while shifting. An internal review and a separate investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol are both pending.
