Police accuse St. Helena Island man of pointing a gun at repo driver, then taking off
Police charged a man Tuesday after accusing him of pulling out a gun during an altercation with a tow truck driver from a repossession company in Burton.
Michael Washington, 35, of St. Helena Island, was charged with pointing and presenting a firearm at a person.
On Nov. 23 just after 7 p.m., a tow truck driver from a repossession company arrived at a home in the Forest Fields neighborhood in Burton, according to Maj. Angela Viens, a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson. As the driver was readying a pickup truck to be towed, its owner, identified as Washington, came outside and the two began to argue.
During the altercation, Washington pulled a gun from his waistband, Viens said. The repo driver, who was not identified, told police that Washington shot once into the ground but not at him. Washington and a woman who had been inside the home at the time this was going on then drove away in the pickup.
The driver called 911 and the two later were stopped by police on Sea Island Parkway, Viens said. Washington and the driver gave conflicting stories to police about who had the gun. Deputies were able to petition the repossession company for surveillance footage from their truck on Dec. 20 and got a warrant for Washington on Dec. 21.
Washington was found and charged by police Tuesday on Parris Island Gateway in Port Royal.
No injuries were reported.
Washington was still in custody Tuesday afternoon at the Beaufort County Detention Center.
This story was originally published January 10, 2023 at 4:50 PM.
