NEWBERRY, SC — A 47-year-old woman is facing multiple charges after deputies say she led law enforcement on a high-speed chase across three South Carolina counties, reaching speeds of 140 miles per hour on Interstate 26.

The pursuit began early Thursday in Spartanburg County after the driver of a black E-Class Mercedes reportedly fled from deputies. It stretched more than 30 miles and continued into Laurens County before reaching Newberry County.

Sheriff Lee Foster of the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office said the case became especially dangerous when the driver kept going even after deputies tried to slow the car with a tire-deflation device.

Deputies say the Mercedes kept moving after its tires were deflated

According to Foster, the vehicle did not stop when the tire-deflation device was deployed. Instead, he said, the Mercedes kept barreling down the interstate on its rims at speeds between 50 and 100 miles per hour.

Deputies also reported that the driver passed through two construction zones while continuing the chase on deflated tires. Foster described the speed as far beyond what is safe for a highway, calling it “racetrack fast” rather than interstate fast.

The sheriff said the pursuit posed risks not only to officers but also to anyone else on the road. The longer the chase continued, he said, the greater the chance that a crash could injure or kill someone.

Sheriff says driver tried to hit officers and made threats during 911 call

Foster said deputies believed the woman showed an intention to hurt officers during the chase. He said she tried to drive into deputies several times while they were attempting to stop her vehicle.

He also said deputies were on the phone with the suspect and a 911 operator during the pursuit. According to Foster, she said she would not be stopped and claimed she had a gun and a bomb.

The sheriff said those claims added to the seriousness of the incident, even though investigators later said no gun or bomb was found in the vehicle. Deputies said the threats and driving behavior raised concern that the woman might be willing to cause harm.

Crash at the weigh station sent the car into the wrong lanes

Deputies say the chase took another dangerous turn after the Mercedes exited into the weigh station at high speed. The vehicle then struck the interstate’s cable barrier system, spun around and started traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes of I-26.

Foster said a car coming the wrong way on an interstate can easily lead to a fatal crash or severe injuries. He said officers had to act quickly because a collision in that situation could involve innocent drivers who had nothing to do with the pursuit.

The wrong-way driving also made the chase more urgent for deputies already trying to prevent the car from harming highway workers, officers or motorists nearby. The sheriff said the situation had moved into an immediate life-threatening phase.

Deputy Kyle Owens used his patrol car to end the chase

That danger led Supervisor and Deputy Kyle Owens to make a choice the sheriff described as putting his own life at risk. Foster said Owens drove his patrol car into the Mercedes in order to bring the chase to an end.

The sheriff said officers try to stop fleeing drivers in a way that limits damage, but he also stressed that sometimes a pursuit must be ended before it can cause a fatal crash. In this case, he said, the wrong-way driving left little room for delay.

No deputies or other drivers were injured during the pursuit, according to authorities. Foster said the decision to force the stop was made to prevent a more serious outcome on the interstate.

Marcy Lynn Goddard faces attempted murder and other charges

Authorities identified the driver as Marcy Lynn Goddard of Moore, South Carolina. She was arrested and taken to a hospital before being transported to jail.

Goddard faces charges including failure to stop for a law enforcement officer, attempted murder, resisting arrest with a deadly weapon, endangering a highway worker and driving under the influence. She is not eligible for bond, according to authorities.

Foster said Goddard told deputies she was being chased by her husband and by the cartel, but officers said they found no evidence those claims were true. The sheriff also said the incident showed how difficult it can be for officers to decide whether to continue a pursuit or let a fleeing driver go.

He said either choice can have consequences, but in this case deputies believed they had to stop the car before someone was seriously hurt.