Cruisers hit; teen charged

Assault with intent to kill charges filed

MOUNT PLEASANT — Two police officers escaped serious injury Thursday when a North Charleston teenager intentionally rammed their cruisers, Sgt. Steve Meadows said.

Nicholas Anthony Ortiz, 17, has been charged with two counts of assault with intent to kill, failure to stop for blue lights and possession of a stolen vehicle.

"We're very fortunate that no one got hurt," Meadows said. Had one of the officers exited his car a moment earlier, "his leg would have been smashed in the door," Meadows said.

Ortiz was being held at the police department. "We're still talking to him," Meadows said. The Charleston County Sheriff's Office will be talking with Ortiz about the car he drove, a Chevy sedan reported stolen from the West Ashley area, Meadows said.

Police chased the car near the foot of the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge at about 3:30 a.m. Thursday. An officer checking for stolen air-conditioning units behind businesses on Lowcountry Boulevard noticed a parked vehicle behind one of the buildings.

As the officer approached the sedan, the driver sped away, jumping a curb and running over shrubbery.

The driver raced south on U.S. Highway 17 and into the Days Inn parking lot off of McGrath Darby Boulevard. An officer pulled up behind him, and he backed into the police car, pushing it about 10 feet, Meadows said.

As he tried to drive away, the driver struck a civilian vehicle, then accelerated and crashed into a second police vehicle, Meadows said. Both officers were preparing to get out of their vehicles when the Chevy hit their cruisers.

Officers surrounded the vehicle, but the driver jumped out and ran into the woods near Harbor Point Apartments. Ortiz was found hiding outside the Red Roof Inn, Meadows said.

Prentiss Findlay contributed to this report. Reach Lauren Santander at lsantander@postandcourier.com.