Beaufort man ‘in a rage’ accused of beating woman and stealing her car, cops say
This story has been updated with more details on the victim. More recent coverage of this incident can be found here.
A Beaufort man is accused of beating a transgender woman while “in a rage,” and then stealing her car while she was still hanging onto the top of it, according to arrest warrants.
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office charged Vada Donnell McCollum, 22, of Beaufort with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature and grand larceny, court records show.
After 9 p.m. on Jan. 29, the victim called the Sheriff’s Office dispatch stating that someone had stolen her car, and she was hanging onto the top of it as the person was driving away, a police report states.
A short time later, as deputies were headed to the call on Cherokee Farms Road in Burton, another caller said someone was bleeding in the roadway in that location.
It was the victim.
Her injuries were life-threatening. She was flown to the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, the report said.
She was still hospitalized as of Friday, said Maj. Bob Bromage with the Sheriff’s Office.
Not long after the assault, deputies said they caught up with McCollum in the victim’s car on Providence Road off Parris Island Gateway.
He was booked into jail at 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 30 and is still being detained, jail records show.
A judge set two surety bonds for McCollum: $100,000 for the assault and battery charge and $10,000 for the grand larceny charge.
Surety bonds allow people to get out of jail by paying a portion of their bond, on the condition that they will return to court.
Both charges are felonies in South Carolina. A conviction on assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature can mean up to 20 years in prison. A grand larceny conviction can result in up to 10 years.
This story was originally published February 5, 2021 at 3:32 PM.
