Oconee County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Fired Upon during Monday Afternoon Pursuit

(Walhalla, SC)--------------------------------------An Oconee County Sheriff’s Office Uniform Patrol Deputy was fired upon by a subject during a pursuit that occurred Monday afternoon.

The deputy attempted to initiate a traffic stop on a Chevrolet Avalanche around 3:32pm this afternoon on Highway 183 near Highway 130, which is near the Oconee Nuclear Station. The traffic stop was due to suspicious behavior by the suspect in the parking lot of Wells Fargo bank on Highway 130 near Salem.

The pursuit moved from Oconee County into Pickens County, with the driver of the vehicle being pursued driving at excessive speeds and disregarding a stop sign along with passing vehicles on a double yellow line.

As the pursuit continued, the driver stopped the vehicle and fired shots at the deputy’s vehicle with what appeared to be some type of rifle disabling the deputy’s vehicle. The deputy did return fire during this time. The deputy who was involved in the pursuit was unharmed.

The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office responded to the location where the driver of the vehicle, who appeared to be the only subject inside, fled on foot on Jamison Road near Freedom Forest Drive. The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office is currently conducting a search for the subject.

A possible description on the subject in question is a white male with facial hair, wearing a dark shirt with either black or brown hair.

The Sheriff’s Office has requested the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to investigate the deputy being shot at by the suspect during the pursuit. Per Sheriff’s Office policy, the deputy will be placed on administrative leave while SLED conducts the investigation of the deputy discharging his weapon after being fired upon by the suspect. The suspect fled on foot and no evidence has been discovered that the suspect was injured.

Any additional information regarding this aspect of the investigation will be referred to SLED.