Apr. 8—It was a supposed to be a typical quiet night for Gwen Thomas.
After spending the evening playing Candy Crush on her phone, she was about to go to bed when she was shaken by the rattle of car going through her mobile home.
“The car drove into the bedroom and she hadn’t officially gotten into bed yet, so she wasn’t in the room,” her son LaVar Thomas said.
Since the crash, the family has set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the cost of repairs to the home, find temporary housing and replace some essentials like a bed.
Thomas, 62, is disabled and didn’t hear the car crash into her home, but felt something move inside her home.
“It startled her and she did not hear the impact of the crash,” LaVar Thomas said. “She kind of felt it with the pictures falling off the walls. It just shocked her.”
In video footage sent to the Aiken Standard, Gwen Thomas can be heard to say, “Oh my God,” when she went outside to see what happened. The incident was captured on her home video system.
The incident
In the early morning hours of March 14 police were involved in a traffic enforcement operation on Atomic Road near Radio Station Road in North Augusta when their radar a vehicle going 85 mph in a 45 mph zone, according to an incident report from the North Augusta Department of Public Safety.
Police attempted to initiate a stop, but the driver did not stop and continued to travel onto Jefferson Davis Road, the report said.
After making a left turn on Old Aiken Road, the vehicle attempted to merge back onto Atomic Road with no headlights and police again tried to initiated a traffic stop; however the driver accelerated and attempted to flee, the report said.
According to the incident report, the suspect’s vehicle was traveling in excess of 120 mph before it made a left turn onto Storm Branch Road.
The vehicle then jumped the railroad tracks in the 500 block of Storm Branch Road while traveling about 85 mph causing it to lose control, the driver then overcorrected and crashed into Thomas’s home, according to the report said.
The suspect then fled on foot, the report said.
Upon searching the vehicle, police found an S.C. Driver’s License belonging to Anthony T. Perry; officers also learned the VIN number on the vehicle revealed that it had been reported as stolen and the suspect’s license was suspended, according to the report.
After the inventory of the vehicle was complete, the engine caught fire and the fire spread to the crawlspace of the home; officers attempted to extinguish the fire using a nearby hose and fire extinguisher, the report said.
The Midland Valley Fire Department responded and fire crews brought the blaze under control, preventing major damage to the structure, according to the report.
South Carolina Highway Patrol was called to the scene to complete a collision investigation, but Lance Cpl. Brittany Glover said SCHP was on scene to collected insurance information.
Lt. Junior Johnson with North Augusta Department of Public Safety said the suspect has outstanding warrants from the incident which include failure to stop for blue lights, possession of a schedule IV substance, possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of cocaine, speeding over 25 mph, driving under suspension and reckless driving.
What’s next?
While Gwen Thomas waits for her home to be repaired, her son said they will wait to see what happens. She has been staying with family members until she has a permanent place to stay.
LaVar Thomas said his mom is still quite shaken up and just wants to live out her retirement without the worry of a police chase ending up near her property.
“She was just minding her business until this chase drove into her bedroom; she shouldn’t have to do anything,” he said. “She is just shaken and we want her to feel safe.”