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Man takes sheriff's cruiser in SC, drives to NC

MURRELLS INLET, S.C. — (AP) A man is in custody after authorities say he took a Georgetown County sheriff's cruiser and led police on a chase into North Carolina.

The Georgetown County Sheriff's Department says 35-year-old Camilo Diaz of Surfside Beach was a patient at Waccamaw Community Hospital in Murrells Inlet when he was seen walking away Sunday morning. Deputies tried to apprehend him when he got into a deputy's cruiser and sped away.

Diaz was stopped near Tabor City, N.C., about 50 miles away, driving the cruiser on its rims.

He is in custody in Georgetown County charged with grand larceny and failure to stop for blue lights. It's not known if he had an attorney.

Authorities are investigating just how he was able to take the cruiser.