A North Charleston man was indicted on a charge he assaulted a S.C. Highway Patrol trooper during the Atlantic Beach Bikefest, according to a grand jury indictments.
Brandon Lamar Simmons, 22, of North Charleston, was indicted on a charge of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature in connection with the May 29 incident during Atlantic Beach Bikefest in which a motorist tried to drive off from a traffic stop with a trooper holding onto a car.
After freeing himself, the trooper fired shots at the fleeing car, which had been stopped on U.S. 17 near Barefoot Landing.
During the traffic stop, one of the two troopers at the intersection went to the driver's side of the car and knocked on the window. When the man inside opened the window, the trooper smelled marijuana, according to an initial report. The trooper told the driver to roll the window down all the way and then put his arm inside the car to put it in park. While the trooper was reaching into the car, the man started to drive away.
The trooper stayed on his feet and freed his arm before shooting at the Jeep three times as it sped away.
The other trooper at the intersection jumped to get out of the way of the Jeep.
State Law Enforcement Division officers searched for the car with vehicles and a helicopter, backing up traffic for more than an hour.
The vehicle was found in a parking lot in the restaurant row area a few hours after the incident.
There were no signs of the three people who had been in the car, which had been cleaned out and abandoned.
Simmons remains jailed at J. Reuben Long Detention Center on $100,000 bond.
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