He led Horry police on high-speed chase, wants them to pay after crashing into church
A Florence County man who led Horry County Police on a high-speed chase earlier this year is now suing the department for the injuries he suffered after crashing into a church.
A police officer patrolling the night of Jan. 8 in an area near Conway attempted to pull over Amir Catron Edwards, 21, after he allegedly committed a traffic violation. Edwards initially pulled into a nearby gas station before taking off once the officer exited his car, HCPD previously stated.
The high-speed pursuit began along Highway 378 and onto 3rd Avenue in Conway until Edwards’ black Nissan struck the brick perimeter wall of Kingston Presbyterian Church, according to previous Sun News reporting.
Edwards alleges in his lawsuit that HCPD policies specify that police should not enter into a high-speed chase in this specific area of the county, which was “extremely congested” with other vehicles and pedestrians.
“However, (acting individually or in the direction of a superior), the officers consciously failed to follow the proper policies, procedures and protocols and operated police vehicles at a high rate of speed, chasing a vehicle veering in and out of traffic,” the complaint states.
Mikayla Moskov, a spokeswoman for the county, declined to comment on the lawsuit.
HCPD policy states that “officers will only engage in a vehicle pursuit when the totality of the circumstances outweigh the risk to the officer and the public.”
Edwards and HCPD are jointly listed as defendants in a separate lawsuit filed last month by Kingston Presbyterian Church, which alleged the vehicles reached speeds up to 107 mph and that the damage to their church, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, would cost a “large sum.”
HCPD previously stated that after the crash, when officers approached the car, Edwards began reaching for a visible gun in the back seat before police took him into custody. He was transported to the hospital before going to jail.
Edwards pled guilty to an illegal weapons charge related to the incident, and charges remain pending for a misdemeanor drug violation and driving with a suspended license, online court records show.
This story was originally published May 30, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
