A Florence County man who led Horry County Police on a high-speed chase earlier this year is suing the department for injuries sustained after driving into a church.
On the night of January 8, a police officer patrolling an area near Conway attempted to stop Amir Catron Edwards, 21, after he reportedly committed a traffic infraction. According to HCPD, Edwards first stopped at a nearby gas station before fleeing after the officer got out of his car.
According to prior Sun News reports, the high-speed pursuit began on Highway 378 and continued into 3rd Avenue in Conway, where Edwards’ black Nissan collided with the brick perimeter wall of Kingston Presbyterian Church.
Edwards claims in his lawsuit that HCPD standards state that police should not engage in a high-speed chase in this particular region 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,” according to the complaint.
Mikayla Moskov, a county spokesperson, declined to comment on the case.
According to HCPD regulations, “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 simultaneously named as defendants in a second lawsuit filed last month by Kingston Presbyterian building, which claimed the cars reached speeds of high to 107 mph and that the damage to their National Register-listed building would cost a “large sum.”
According to HCPD, after the crash, when officers approached the car, Edwards began reaching for a visible gun in the back seat before being taken into custody. He was taken to the hospital before being jailed.
Edwards pleaded guilty to an unlawful firearms charge in connection with the event, while charges for a misdemeanor drug violation and driving with a suspended license are still pending, according to online court records.