HollyMatkinMyrtle Beach, SC – The South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) has released dashcam footage that showed the 2017 officer-involved shooting of a man who rammed his car into a police cruiser, pinning a Myrtle Beach police officer between the vehicles (video below).
The incident occurred on Sep. 3, 2017, after the Myrtle Beach Police Department (MBPD) received reports that a reckless driver in a white Jaguar had attempted to run over a maintenance worker and a security guard at the Sea Mist Resort, The State reported.
Surveillance footage showed that the driver, later identified as 31-year-old Jarvis Hayes, had also steered the vehicle onto a sidewalk, and swerved into oncoming traffic.
When two MBPD officers attempted to affect a traffic stop on Hayes’ vehicle, he pulled into the parking lot of the Mystic Sea Motel, WPDE reported.
Dashcam footage showed Hayes as he tried to turn his vehicle around in the single-entrance lot.
Officers repeatedly issued commands for him to stop, and to put the Jaguar into park, but Hayes refused to comply.
“He verbally acknowledged the commands and stated, ‘he was going to stop but it was ok because he was a cop,'” a SLED report noted, according to WPDE.
As police began to surround his vehicle on foot, Hayes “aggressively accelerated his vehicle to the point of spinning the tires and ramming three vehicles,” to include a patrol car, the SLED report said, according to WMBF.
Off-camera, one officer’s leg was pinned between the Jaguar and a patrol vehicle.
In the video, Hayes continued to accelerate as the officer struggled to free his leg, and then police opened fire on Hayes to stop him.
The video showed the officer who was caught between the cars scrambling to safety across the hood of a patrol vehicle. Several bullet holes could be seen in the side of the suspect’s vehicle.
The officer sustained minor injuries, and had bruises on his lower leg, WPDE reported.
Hayes was transported to a hospital, where he died five days later.
Toxicology tests determined that Hayes had a blood-alcohol content of .237 at the time of the incident.
“As sworn protectors of the peace, sometimes incidents present themselves that require officers to have to make life and death decisions,” MBPD Chief Amy Prock said in a statement following the shooting, according to WPDE. “Although this is an unfortunate incident… They acted swiftly in a manner to protect themselves and the citizens that were in that area.”
Myrtle Beach Police Private First Class Justin Leiberth and Myrtle Beach Police Patrolman Drew Fox were placed on administrative duty, as per protocol, while the officer-involved shooting was investigated, WMBF reported.
SLED concluded that both officers acted in self-defense, and 15th Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson said that the officers would not face any charges in relation to Hayes’ death, WDPE reported.
You can watch the harrowing video below: