Columbia teen arrested following fatal 100 mph crash

The Richland County Sheriff’s Department has announced the arrest of a 17-year-old following a July 14 police pursuit that ended in a fatal crash into a lake.

Trent Cobb, the driver of the car, has been charged with reckless vehicular homicide and felony DUI resulting in death, among other charges.

Cobb has been under medical care since the crash, which injured four other occupants of the Jeep Cherokee that he was driving, according to deputies. He was arrested Wednesday and transferred to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.

The Richland County coroner previously identified the victim as 16-year-old Brandon Nunez. No information about bail was available Thursday morning.

Cobb was also charged with two counts of felony DUI resulting in great bodily injury, failure to stop for blue lights resulting in death and two counts of failure to stop for blue lights resulting in great bodily injury.

The sheriff’s department said that its Traffic Safety Unit determined Cobb was driving under the influence of alcohol, marijuana, and prescription drugs at the time of the crash.

Law enforcement officials have said that the events leading up to the fatal crash began shortly before midnight on July 14, when Cobb allegedly fled a traffic stop initiated by the South Carolina Highway Patrol. According to a statement released by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, which was called to assist in the chase, the Jeep fled at speeds exceeding 100 mph.

At 12:05 a.m., the car crashed into a pond at the Chestnut Hill Plantation subdivision, near the intersection of Lost Creek Drive and Boat Ramp Road. The sheriff’s department did not provide any information about what led to the crash.

Deputies said they immediately dove into the water as the Jeep sank. Five people, between the ages of 14 and 18, including Cobb, were rescued from the submerged vehicle and taken to an area hospital with injuries.

Nunez’s body was not recovered until the next day.