OCONEE COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – A man involved in a chase on I-85 from Georgia to South Carolina was found dead in Lake Hartwell early Tuesday morning.
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office attempted to stop a 2014 Dodge Charger on I-85 near mile marker 169 after they clocked it traveling northbound at 125 mph.
In the pursuit, the Dodge Charger hit another car on the bridge over Lake Hartwell at the South Carolina/Georgia state line before hitting the bridge guardrail.
Deputies said the driver then got out of the car and jumped into Lake Hartwell from the bridge.
Franklin Co. deputies saw the man attempting to swim in the water and threw a rope in an attempt to rescue him. He was last seen going beneath the bridge.
His body was found at about 2 a.m. in 26-foot-deep water.
The Oconee County Coroner’s Office identified the man as Akeem O. Lukie, 31, of Greenwood.
The coroner’s office said the cause of death is drowning. Lukie’s death has been ruled accidental.
The Dodge Charger belonged to Lukie’s wife.
