Charleston County Sheriff Al Cannon said a rush of emotions caused him to slap a handcuffed suspect after a 25-mile police chase.
Shawn McManus was arrested after he tried to flee from his vehicle after the high-speed chase from Mount Pleasant to Awendaw. Cannon said the chase started after McManus committed a traffic violation. Deputies say they reached speeds of 120 miles per hour during their pursuit.
In a written statement, Cannon said he walked up to the handcuffed McManus after the latter had been arrested. Cannon said he angrily asked, “What the (expletive) is wrong with you?!” to which McManus replied “Ain’t nothing wrong with me, man.” The sheriff said he then slapped McManus and said “You could have killed a lot of people.”
Cannon said he has reported his actions to the State Law Enforcement Division. SLED was already investigating the incident because deputies shot at McManus’s tires during the chase. State law requires the agency to step in any time an officer fires a gun.
Cannon said he is prepared to accept the consequences of his actions.
