South Congaree, SC – 04/16/2021 (Paul Kirby) – South Congaree police officer, with help from the Cayce Department of Public Safety and the Springdale Police Department, pursued and then arrest a man who had over 37 warrants outstanding. These were for numerous felony crimes in the state of Georgia. South Congaree Police Chief Josh Shumpert said Friday that a SCPD officer tried to stop Zayvone Tornell Green, age 23, for speeding. Instead of pulling over, Green sped away initiating the chase.
Shumpert said that Green was driving 57 miles-per-hour in a 35 miles-per-hour zone when his officer measured his speed. Once Green refused to stop, the SCPD officer began chasing him toward Cayce and called for assistance from surrounding jurisdictions. Green cut into the Churchill Heights neighborhood near Airport Boulevard and I-26 where he bailed out of the car and fled on foot.
Officers with the Cayce Department of Public Safety and the Springdale Police Department flooded the area to assist the officers from South Congaree. Cayce also responded with one of their K-9s and began tracking Green. After an extensive search, Green was located hiding in a camper in someone’s yard. He was immediately placed under arrest.
Green did not cooperate with the police so it took more work to get his name and a positive identification. Once police had that information and ran it through the national crime database, they found that Green had 37 outstanding warrants in the state of Georgia. “All of these warrants are extraditable,” Chief Shumpert said Friday. “We booked him into the Lexington County Detention Center but eventually, law enforcement officers from Georgia will come and get him so he can face a judge for his crimes committed in that state.”
South Congaree has charged Green with speeding for driving 57 in a 35 zone. They also charged him with failure to stop for blue lights, driving with a suspended license, operating an uninsured vehicle, and violation of South Carolina’s child restraint laws.
Just some of the warrants out of Georgia are for two counts of burglary in the first degree, trafficking Ecstasy, possession of a stolen firearm, unlawful carrying of a weapon, and possession a gun stolen out of a vehicle. These are all felonies and in some case, he has multiple counts of the same crimes.
In closing Chief Shumpert said, “Our guys were able to take a career criminal, a man not afraid to commit these serious crimes, off the streets. Now, he’ll eventually return to Georgia and I’m sure they’ll be glad to get their hands on Mr. Green. I would bet he'll spend a good bit of time in a Georgia state prison when all this is done.”
Chief Shumpert said in closing, “We appreciate the assistance of the Cayce Department of Public Safety and the Springdale Police Department for their help in catching this guy. Our relationship with these departments is great and we know they’ll come to us if we need help. Certainly, when they call we go help them too.”
