A SC family says a trooper held them at gunpoint over an unverified 911 tip
A Richland County couple has filed a federal lawsuit against the South Carolina Department of Public Safety and a highway patrol trooper, alleging a wrongful felony traffic stop left the family traumatized. The suit says the trooper drew weapons and handcuffed the family based solely on an unverified third-party 911 call — without confirming their vehicle matched the description given to law enforcement.
FULL STORY: ‘The most traumatizing day of my life:’ family sues SC trooper after traffic stop
Here are key takeaways:
• The complaint, filed March 31 in U.S. District Court in Columbia, was brought by Kartrez Rush and Jasmine Scott on behalf of themselves and their three minor children against Trooper Kyle J. Lyman and the department.
• The May 4, 2025, stop was based on a 911 caller who reported a black Dodge dually truck towing a trailer with stolen dirt bikes. The Rush family’s vehicle was a Ram 3500 with five occupants — not three as described in the dispatch.
• Rush said his 15-year-old daughter told him during the stop, “Dad, they have guns pointed at us.” The daughter said she began recording because she had seen similar incidents on social media.
• The family says they were ordered out at gunpoint, forced to kneel and lie face-down and handcuffed, while the children were removed and made to stand roadside. Officers searched the trailer without consent and found nothing, the suit says.
• The suit seeks actual, consequential and punitive damages for claims including unreasonable seizure and excessive force under the Fourth Amendment, plus state-law claims of false imprisonment and negligent training.
• Attorney Tyler Bailey said the trooper “never asked for (Rush’s) driver’s license or registration” and warned the 911 caller could have been “swatting” the family.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.