MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — An alert South Carolina police officer rescued a woman after recognizing her calls for help.
Officer Wallace with the North Myrtle Beach Police Department was patrolling around 5:30 a.m. on May 28 when she pulled over the driver of a Jeep who had run a red light at an intersection.
As Wallace approached the Jeep, she saw a female driver with a male passenger. While talking with the occupants of the vehicle, the officer noticed the woman was distressed.
Wallace said when the male passenger was looking away, the driver mouthed the words "help me" repeatedly. The officer then took the man out of the vehicle and placed him in her patrol car.
Back at the Jeep, the woman frantically told Wallace the passenger had just shot someone.
Moments later, a call came across police radio informing officers to be on the lookout for a vehicle that was just involved in a shooting.
The suspect was later arrested, and an unlawfully carried pistol was recovered underneath the suspect's seat in the Jeep.
According to WMBF-TV, the suspect, 29-year-old Collin Bates of Columbia, South Carolina, shot one person, then forced the woman in the Jeep to drive him away from the scene. Court records show he is facing multiple charges, including attempted murder and kidnapping.
The North Myrtle Beach Police Department posted Wallace's heroic deed on Facebook Wednesday, June 7 as part of a "Way To Go Wednesday" recognition.
"Our department and our community is lucky to have Officer Wallace. Great Job!" the department wrote.
