Report: Man threw out gun, stolen items during chase with Hanahan police

A man was arrested Sunday night on charges that he sped away from Hanahan police officers while discarding stolen items and a firearm he’s accused of using in three robberies.

Joseph Mack Jr., 45, of Towles Road in Hollywood faces three counts of armed robbery, possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime, failure to stop for blue lights and open container.

The Hanahan Police Department was summoned just after 7 p.m. to 1011 Trident St., where an incident report stated that two men and a woman were robbed. The robber was seen leaving in a green GMC Sierra, the police were told.

Officers saw that pickup near Trident Street and North Rhett Avenue, but it accelerated when they tried to stop it, according to the report.

During a pursuit near Westvaco Park, officers saw a silver object thrown from the GMC’s passenger side. That’s where they later reported finding a 24-ounce can of Icehouse beer that was still cold.

The chase continued on Remount Road, then through the parking lot of an apartment complex on Chatham Avenue. Officers didn’t report seeing anything fly from the pickup at that point, but they later uncovered a handgun and several items stolen during the robberies.

After the mile-long pursuit, the pickup led the police to 5737 Murray Drive, where it hit a parked camper. Its driver got out and fell to the ground, the report stated.

But he quickly recovered and ran. When Officer Travis Lanphere told him to stop, the man turned. Lanphere drew his weapon, but he reported that he soon holstered his sidearm when he saw that the man wasn’t armed.

Because the man wasn’t complying with orders, Lanphere said he used a technique to take him down and handcuff his wrists.

In the man’s pockets, the officer reported finding several yellow rings.

Mack has been arrested before in Charleston County, according to court records.

He pleaded guilty to escaping from jail in June 2007 and petty larceny in April 2010. He also was convicted of failing to return a video rental in April 2002.

Reach Andrew Knapp at 937-5414 or twitter.com/offlede.