Local, state and federal police surrounded an allegedly violent, wanted fugitive in Hampton County late Friday afternoon but were able to make an arrest without apparent injury after a short standoff.
Roughly around 5 p.m. Friday, officers from the U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force, the S.C. Law Enforcement Division SWAT unit, and the Hampton County Sheriff s Office converged on a mobile home at 986 Hickory Hill Road, outside Varnville, S.C.
The Hampton County Guardian Editor Michael DeWitt was at the scene. The highway was blocked by police in both directions and traffic was rerouted. Police officers on a bullhorn advised the suspect to come out peacefully. The suspect was warned that gas would be deployed if he did not surrender. A thunderstorm rolled in, threatening to complicate the situation.