Two men charged after standoff in Socastee

Two Myrtle Beach men have been charged today after a shooting and standoff that happened Wednesday.

Michael Jamel Willis, 24, has been charged with assault and battery with intent to kill, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to a news release from Sgt. Robert Kegler with the Horry County Police Department.

Brandon Martell Horton, 25, has been charged with accessory after the fact of a felony.

Both men are currently at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center.

Horry County police arrested both men Wednesday after a two-hour standoff outside a condominium complex.

Police initially were looking for one suspect and had chased him into the Villas at Palmetto Pointe on Maypop Circle, off Palmetto Pointe Boulevard, in the Socastee area of Horry County.

Two people eventually came out of the condo.

The first man came out of the building voluntarily at about 8:30 p.m., but police had to go into the condo to get the second man.

Officers had spent hours speaking to who they believed to be the sole suspect through the patrol car's speaker system, trying to get him to surrender.

SWAT team negotiators, Horry County police and Horry County Fire Rescue reported to the scene.

Over and over, police droned the phrases, "Come out with your hands up," "We want to make sure you're OK," and "We are not going to leave."

During negotiations, police supplied the suspects with a phone and unsuccessfully asked them to pick up and talk with negotiators.

Several shots and explosions were heard throughout the ordeal. At about 7:55 p.m., an officer shot an object through the window, and officers appeared to enter the ground-floor condo. Another loud bang was heard inside the unit at about 8 p.m.

One of the suspects was reportedly involved in a shooting on Palmetto Pointe Boulevard at about 3 p.m.

"There were law enforcement in the area and heard shots," Kegler said.

There was a foot pursuit, and police chased the suspect into the complex. Kegler said the first man to leave the condo was not the one the police had chased.

The victim of the shooting was taken to the South Strand Ambulatory Care Center for treatment for non-life-threatening injuries, Kegler said.

Police evacuated the nearby apartments and closed off two roads in the area: the entrance to the Villas and Ivystone apartments at Palmetto Pointe Boulevard and April Pine Drive; and the entrance to the Sea Palms development on Palmetto Pointe Boulevard.