Following a traffic stop that resulted in the rescue of a lady who was reportedly compelled to drive a shooting suspect away from a crime scene, a South Carolina police department is honoring one of its officers.
The North Myrtle Beach Police Department honored Officer Wallace for her actions while patrolling U.S. Highway 17 in North Myrtle Beach in the early morning hours of May 28 in a Facebook post for “Way To Go Wednesday.”
Wallace stopped a white Jeep that was being driven through a red light at an intersection on the highway at roughly 5:30 a.m. that Sunday.
Wallace was talking to the individuals in the car when he saw the woman driving the Jeep “appeared distressed,” and while the man in the passenger seat wasn’t looking at her, she mouthed “help me” to Wallace several times in a quiet voice.
The policewoman signaled the officer, who pulled the man from the vehicle and put him in the back seat of her patrol car.
The woman “frantically” informed Wallace that the man had just shot someone when Wallace went back to the Jeep and spoke to her.
The Waterway House, a restaurant in the Myrtle Beach region, was the scene of a shooting shortly after, and shortly after that, dispatch issued a BOLO (Be On the Lookout) alert over the radio for a car that was involved.
The tweet below verifies the news:
South Carolina officer rescues kidnapped getaway driver who mouthed ‘help me’ during traffic stop https://t.co/pwv574Jqj1
— MSN (@MSN) June 9, 2023
Collins Bates Arrested for Shooting Victim
According to WMBF, the individual, later identified as Collins Bates, 29, was detained in connection with the incident. Police in North Myrtle Beach said that they found a weapon being carried illegally under his seat.
According to a Horry County police report obtained by WMBF, Bates allegedly shot someone outside the restaurant in the stomach before ordering the woman in the Jeep to drive him away.
The gun discovered in the automobile was of the same caliber as the shell casing discovered at the shooting scene, according to the same police report, WMBF reported.
If you are interested in learning more about this subject, I suggest checking out the following links:
- Drunken Shooting ‘Game’ Ends in Painful Death of French Woman
- Historic Church Consumed by Flames in Aftermath of Lightning Strike
The J. Reuben Long Detention Center is where Bates is being held on a number of crimes, including attempted murder and kidnapping. Without a bond, he is being detained.
Wallace received accolades from the department for “proactively patrolling” the city’s streets “even to the last 30 minutes of her shift.”
Officer Wallace is a lucky addition to our department and community, according to North Myrtle Beach police. A “Great Job!”
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