Two men in hospital after Socastee possible meth lab commotion

A “suspicious incident” related to a possible meth lab operation drew swarms of Horry County police and fire officials to a Socastee-area apartment complex Wednesday morning.

A caller told 911 dispatchers that he heard strange noises and smelled kerosene-type fumes coming from an apartment at 200 Rittenhouse Road at 4:54 a.m. The caller said he thought meth was being produced there, said Lt. Raul Denis of the Horry County Police Department.

Witnesses reported seeing what appeared to be injured people leaving that location around the time of the commotion, according to Denis.

“It was apparent that some kind of incident had happened in the home,” said Horry County Police Lt. Brandon Strickland outside of the Plantation Apartments Wednesday morning.

“Arriving officers found evidence that someone had been injured in the apartment and confirmed the presence of smoke and chemicals” in the home, Denis said. “Our clandestine meth lab investigators cleared the residence for hazardous materials and found what are believed to be precursors of meth production.”

Officers said they suspected a type of explosion may have injured people in the apartment.

“Two injured men were later found at local hospitals and have since been identified as the men leaving that apartment,” Denis said. “Both men are still at hospitals receiving medical attention; their conditions are not known. This case is still being investigated for possible criminal charges.”

A hazmat team was on the scene early Wednesday morning, along with a heavy police and fire department presence.

Horry County police crime scene investigators were called to perform a sweep of the unit to determine if there was any evidence to collect.

“I don’t feel comfortable with this happening here. This is a community with children,” said Jessica Jones, apartment complex resident and mother of four children.

Jones said she has lived in the complex for four years and has never seen so many police and fire department officials in the area, and didn’t hear or see any of the early-morning commotion that drew so many officials to the area.

“I’ve never seen something like this out here,” she said.

Omar Garcia, apartment complex resident who has lived in the complex for eight years with his family that includes three children, said he was thinking of moving now.

“It’s dangerous because we have our family here. It’s terrible,” he said.

This story was originally published August 3, 2016 at 10:31 AM with the headline "Two men in hospital after Socastee possible meth lab commotion."