South Carolina sheriff speaks on ambush of police officer, pursuit and suspect’s death
By Zach Rainey & Jane Robelot
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GREENVILLE, South Carolina (WYFF) — In an exclusive interview with WYFF News 4’s Jane Robelot, Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis talked about the ambush on a Greenville police officer over the weekend.
Early Sunday morning, a man fired what state investigators believe to be incendiary rounds at the driver’s side door of a Greenville Police Department’s patrol car, which was parked in the lot of the Greenville County Law Enforcement Center on McGee Street. The officer inside the patrol car was injured but managed to jump into the passenger seat, exit the vehicle, and reach the lobby where deputies rendered aid.
Sheriff Lewis said, “It is only by the grace of God that the police officer who was ambushed is still alive” and that no one else was hurt.
He added, “Every event that unfolded after that, God just had his hand on law-enforcement here. There’s nothing else, really to explain it. Honestly, no other reason than the hedge of protection that only God can provide.”
Lewis described the officer’s actions as “incredible,” noting that despite being shot, the officer managed to get on the radio and provide critical information.
“To hear him keep himself together and get that information out was incredible after being shot with those type rounds,” Lewis said.
The sheriff said technology and the injured officer’s quick thinking played a major role in authorities quickly locating the suspect, David Lane.
Sheriff Lewis said Lane continued shooting at law enforcement as he traveled down Interstate 385 and onto Roper Mountain Road. A pursuit ensued and ended after a crash in the area of Independence Boulevard and Ponders Court. The suspect then ended up taking his own life.
According to the sheriff, investigators found a concerning amount of ammunition and weapons in Lane’s home.
“He was well prepared to inflict as much damage as possible,” Lewis said. “If this guy had done this at three in the afternoon, four in the afternoon, on Woodruff Road, on Roper Mountain Road, which is where he was. I mean, he could have, you know, he would have shot till he ran out of ammo, He could have he could have hurt a lot of people.”
Sheriff Lewis stated that more details about the incident would be shared on Feb. 25, once investigations by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the Sheriff’s Office of Professional Standards are completed.
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