Driver shot by York County deputy after ramming patrol cars dies, sheriff says

YORK COUNTY, S.C. — A driver who used a stolen SUV as a weapon to ram patrol cars has died after being shot by a deputy Tuesday afternoon, York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson said.

Deputies responded to reports of a stolen vehicle in the Baxter Village community of Fort Mill at around 4:30 p.m., officials said.

“We were asked to check the area of Marcus Street and Baxter Village for a stolen car out of Charlotte,” Tolson said.

The deputies tried to stop the car, but the driver, later identified as Tyshawn Malik Benjamin, refused, which led to a chase. Officials said the driver at times was going up to 90 mph.

At one point, the sheriff said two deputies, Korey Wedow and Lucas Frame, were able to stop Benjamin in a parking lot of a Chicken King restaurant in Rock Hill. Tolson said that he had an opportunity to get out of the SUV, but instead took off again.

“He come up from this side over here, then there was two cops. One had him kind of blocked in that way and one was behind him and he stopped there for maybe a few seconds,” said Wendy Smith, a Chicken King employee.

The chase eventually ended in the CVS parking lot on Cherry Road at Charlotte Avenue in Rock Hill. There, Tolson said Benjamin rammed into two patrol vehicles with deputies standing close by.

The sheriff said that was when Wedow fired three shots. At least one round struck Benjamin, who was taken to a hospital where he later died.

“There’s no indication the individual was armed with a handgun,” Tolson said. “He certainly was armed with a vehicle. When you take a 2,500-pound bullet, and you ram a deputy who is standing in the apex of a door, this is the direct result.”

During a Wednesday morning news conference, the sheriff’s office released dash camera video in hopes of providing a greater understanding of why deputies fired shots.

“We showed this video and outlined these facts, because the question inevitably is going to come up -- you shot a man who didn’t have a firearm. We did, but you can clearly see in the video he’s armed. He’s armed with a very powerful and dangerous instrument called a very heavy vehicle,” Tolson said.

>> Watch the dash camera video released by the York County Sheriff’s Office below. Viewer discretion is advised.

Chopper 9 Skyzoom flew over the heavy police presence in the CVS parking lot, where the SUV could be seen crashed and crime scene tape surrounded the scene.

Tolson added it’s unclear whether any shoppers were in the parking lot during the incident. However, detectives spoke with witnesses.

No deputies were hurt in the incident, the sheriff said.

“It wasn’t the decision of the police officers to have to shoot this man -- it was his decision,” Tolson said. “I will tell you, I do know that at least on one occasion he did stop and according to preliminary information put his hands up, there was the opportunity to give up and he chose not to.”

The sheriff’s office said the SUV was reported stolen from Charlotte around 1 p.m. Tuesday.

Deputies Wedow and Frame are on leave with pay, pending the results of the investigation, which is standard protocol.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division will be investigating the incident and will likely give the findings of the investigation to the 16th Circuit solicitor Kevin Brackett, who will decide if charges are necessary in the case.

Check back with wsoctv.com for updates.

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