Key Takeaways
- A Pickens County business owner held a drunk burglary suspect at gunpoint at the Sip n' Ride on October 13 until deputies arrived.
- The suspect told the owner he had a gun and was moving around the beer and wine bar erratically before being held at gunpoint.
- Deputies found a 9mm handgun near the scene, and the suspect was charged with burglary, weapon offenses, and petit larceny enhanced.
- The Pickens County Sheriff's Office publicly thanked both the bystanders who called 911 and the owner for keeping the suspect from fleeing.
- The sheriff's office has not released the suspect's name, and he is presumed innocent unless convicted.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
PICKENS, SC — A Pickens County business owner held a drunk burglary suspect at gunpoint on the evening of October 13 until deputies arrived, after the man told him he had a gun and was walking around the business erratically, according to the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office said several 911 calls came in reporting a burglary in progress at the Sip n’ Ride, where the owner was already holding the suspect at gunpoint. The local news broadcast embedded below describes the Sip n’ Ride as a beer and wine bar on the Doodle Trail. Deputies with the Bravo Team arrived within minutes and took the suspect into custody without incident.
Once deputies were on scene, the owner told them the suspect had said he had a gun and had been moving around the business erratically. Deputies found a 9mm handgun in the area along with other stolen property, and the weapon charges filed afterward indicate they connected that handgun to him. The sheriff’s office said the suspect was grossly intoxicated.
A drunk man wandering through your business telling you he is armed is about as unpredictable as a threat gets. He is not reasoning, he is not reading your commands, and he may or may not be reaching for the gun he says he has. The owner’s options were narrow. He drew, he held the man where he stood, and he never pressed the trigger. That is the mindset I want every armed citizen to carry: the gun comes out to stop a threat, and stopping it does not always mean firing.
The 911 calls mattered as much as the gun. Multiple bystanders called in a burglary in progress and told dispatch the owner was holding the suspect at gunpoint. That meant the Bravo Team deputies rolled up knowing which man with a gun in his hand was the owner and which one was the suspect. If you ever find yourself holding someone at gunpoint, that is the single most important piece of information dispatch can have before the first patrol car arrives.
The sheriff’s office credited its deputies for bringing what it called a very dangerous situation to a close safely, and it publicly thanked both the bystanders who called 911 and the owner himself “for taking action to keep the suspect from fleeing and potentially harming anyone else in his current state of mind.” The sheriff’s office gave no indication the owner faces any scrutiny.
More from USA Carry:
The suspect was charged with burglary, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, possession of a weapon by persons convicted of certain crimes, and petit larceny enhanced. The third charge means he was already prohibited from possessing a firearm when he walked into that business with one. The sheriff’s office has not released his name. The charges are allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless convicted.
Several 911 calls, one armed owner, and a suspect who stayed put until deputies walked in. Nobody was shot and nobody was hurt.
