9-hour standoff ends after chase in Murrells Inlet

A standoff with police in Murrells Inlet lasted more than nine hours before it ended with a brief escape attempt and the arrest of one man.

The standoff between the suspect, Sean Roy Johnson, and Georgetown County sheriff's deputies began just before 2 p.m. Wednesday and Johnson was arrested just before midnight, according to Neil Johnson of the Georgetown County Sheriff's Office.

Sean Johnson, 50, is charged with criminal domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature and was being held Thursday at the Georgetown County jail, Neil Johnson said. His bail was set at $50,000.

Officers responded to a call in the 4300 block of Goude Street on Wednesday after Sean Johnson's girlfriend called police and said he pointed a handgun at her, according to Neil Johnson.

He said the woman, who was inside the home at one point, was outside when police arrived and didn't appear injured. She told officers that her boyfriend was waiting on the front porch.

Officers approached the house but found that Sean Johnson was not on the front porch. Sheriff's deputies set up a perimeter around the home and blocked off Goude Street while the Georgetown County Sheriff's Office SWAT Team and negotiators talked to Sean Johnson, police said.

After hours of negotiations, Johnson briefly escaped by leaving the back of the home. He was later captured by deputies. He was unarmed at the time of his arrest, according to Neil Johnson.

During the ordeal, residents near Sean Johnson's home were asked to stay in their homes. Those who were not home when the standoff began were kept away from their homes until it was over.