Driver points gun at deputy before pursuit

A man who pointed a gun at a Greenville County deputy while being chased through two counties is facing multiple charges, authorities said.

Donald Emory Pinola, 34, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident, hindering officer serving legal papers, driving under suspension, resisting arrest with a deadly weapon, unlawful carrying of a pistol, failure to stop for blue lights and attempted murder, according to online jail records and the Sheriff's Office.

He was being held at the Greenville County Detention Center without bond Thursday, jail records show.

Sheriff's Office spokesman Jonathan Smith said a deputy was responding to a call about a suspicious person and vehicle on Gentry Street when the incident began at 4:15 p.m. Wednesday.

When the deputy tried to make contact, the subject fled on foot, Smith said.

The deputy gave chase and said the suspect at one point pulled out a gun and pointed it in his direction before getting away in a vehicle.

A second deputy then tried to pull the vehicle over, but the suspect refused to stop, leading deputies on a pursuit in and out of Pickens County before he crashed his car on Saxum Way off Saluda Dam Road, according to Smith.

The suspect tried to run on foot again but was caught without further incident, Smith said.

A handgun was later found in the vehicle, he said.

No shots were fired, and no one was injured during the two pursuits.

Authorities said the same suspect also produced a gun during an earlier altercation outside the Wal-Mart on White Horse Road.