tI–77 over Congaree River: Traffic was held up for almost two hours March 26 as a man accused of robbing a BB&T bank led police on a car chase and then dived off the bridge in an escape attempt. Officers tried to talk the robber into giving himself up while traffic was at a standstill as drivers could only watch the drama unfold. Finally, the man jumped off the bridge landing in the soft mud below. He suffered only scrapes and bruises. Most of the money was recovered along with a handgun that witnesses said was used in the robbery.

West Columbia

tSunset Blvd., 600 block: A man was arrested at 8 pm Monday after police spotted him driving down the road with his truck door open and apparently throwing up. When officers pulled him over, the man initially said something was wrong with his truck, and the door wouldn’t close. When the officers pointed out that was probably because he was holding the door open with his arm, the man said he had inadvertently swallowed some tobacco juice, and it made him sick. Because officers smelled a strong odor of alcohol they knew it wasn’t the tobacco juice. They asked the driver where he had been, and he said he had been drinking in Five Points. He said he only had a few beers, but when they asked him to get out of the truck he stumbled and fell. He was charged with driving under the influence.

tSunset Blvd., 2300 block: Police arrested a man they found stumbling in the roadway at 7 pm Tuesday. The 42–year–old man was bleeding from the chin and could barely stand up, a report said. Officers asked him if they could give him a ride home, but he didn’t know his address and could only tell them he was going “up the road a piece.” They then gave him a ride to jail.

tMeeting Street, 800 block: Police were called to a gas station at 8 pm Monday when employees reported a man causing a disturbance in the parking lot. When offices arrived they found the man screaming and swearing at the gas pump. They tried to reason with the man and get him to calm down, but he said the pump attacked him. Since he reeked of alcohol and had slurred speech and trouble standing, he was arrested and charged with public drunkenness. No charges were filed against the pump.

tMeeting Street, 100 block: Two men were arrested at midnight Sunday after police saw them speeding down the street. When they were pulled over, the officer immediately noticed two half full cups on the passenger floorboard containing something that smelled like booze. The men admitted to drinking vodka and orange juice so officers searched the car. They found a bottle of vodka, a bottle of watermelon rum, a bottle of mojito rum, and two bottles of lemonade flavored rum. When the officer asked the men what they were doing with all that liquor, the driver, who was 22, said that the passenger couldn’t get into a bar because he was only 19 so they had to bring their own. Both were charged with liquor violations and the driver was charged with driving under the influence.

Cayce

tHelen Street: Police were called to a park at 3 pm Saturday after witnesses said a truck was on fire. Two men were fighting and inadvertently turned over a charcoal grill in the bed of their truck, causing the embers to catch fire and ignite. No one was injured, and the fire was put out quickly.

Forest Acres

tSatchel Ford Road, 5900 block: Police were called to an elementary school at 8 am Wednesday after a teacher said a student had stolen her cell phone. An investigation revealed that a 10–year–old had stolen the phone and used it to download ring tones, text her friends, and play some games. She then gave it to an 11–year–old during a school assembly and told the girl not to tell or she would hurt her. The older girl gave the phone to the school officer, but the younger girl denied the story. Unfortunately for her, she had bragged about stealing the phone to other students who then came forward as witnesses. The phone was returned to the teacher who declined to press charges, and the girl’s mother agreed to pay for any charges accrued during the heist. The school will determine disciplinary action for the girls.

tForest Drive, 4700 block: Someone apparently had a lot of laundry to do at 1 pm Wednesday because police were called to a grocery store after employees saw a man stealing four bottles of liquid laundry detergent. The employee told officers the man was carrying the four bottles in grocery bags but never paid for them. She followed him out of the store to confront him, but he ran away and ducked into a nearby restaurant. The detergents were valued at almost $60.

tPercival Road, 300 block: It was a he–said–she–said at 1:30 am Tuesday when police were called to an apartment building because a couple was fighting. The woman told officers the man threw a suitcase through her wall and tried to throw her off the balcony. The man said that he was merely trying to leave the house when the woman threw herself on him and began to claw his arm. The man denied throwing the suitcase into the wall but there was a hole in the wall and dry wall dust on the luggage. The woman denied clawing the man, but he had nail marks on his arm and officers found two broken nails in the bedroom.