SC man arrested for hate crime after shooting into Myrtle Beach LGBTQ nightclub
A South Carolina man has been charged with hate intimidation for shooting into a Myrtle Beach LGBTQ nightclub, police said.
Timothy James Truett, 37, of Clover, was arrested by Myrtle Beach Police Thursday and charged with assault or intimidation due to political opinions or exercise of civil rights, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and discharging firearms into a dwelling.
Truett was arrested under the city’s hate intimidation ordinance, which was passed in 2024. It is the first time the city has charged someone under the ordinance, according to Myrtle Beach Police spokesman Randolph Angotti by text.
Police responded to Pulse Ultra Club, 2701 S. Kings Highway, about 11 a.m. Wednesday for a shots-fired call. The nightclub has been a place for the LGBTQ community for nearly 15 years.
When officers arrived, they talked to the victim who said that he was exiting the business to go to the bank and when he got into his vehicle, he noticed that his vehicle’s windows had been shattered, according to a police report. The victim told police that he had heard about five to six gunshots moments earlier but only briefly looked outside to observe the situation.
Video surveillance showed a silver-colored vehicle stopping in the middle of the roadway. Footage further showed muzzle flashes coming from the passenger-side window, the warrant said.
Officers later conducted a traffic stop on the suspect and found spent shell casings and a firearm in the vehicle, according to the warrant.
There were several projectile strikes into the building from the gunshots, according to the warrant.
The report did not say why Truett fired at the nightclub or into the victim’s vehicle.
He was booked into J. Reuben Long Detention Center where remained Friday without bond.
This story was originally published April 3, 2026 at 10:00 AM.
