SLED arrests, identifies man accused of shooting Cayce police officers

An Orangeburg man accused of shooting at two Cayce police officers during a traffic stop was arrested on Friday.

Eugene Jonathon James, 19, is facing two counts of attempted murder and three weapons charges, including possession of a weapon during a violent crime, according to the State Law Enforcement Division. He also is charged with possession of a stolen vehicle.

James is being held at Richland County’s Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center without bond, according to jail records. A follow up hearing is scheduled for July 24.

He is accused of leading two Cayce police officers on a car and foot chase on May 27, after the officers attempted to pull him over, according to warrants. The officers stopped the car for speeding as it was traveling over the Blossom Street bridge into downtown Columbia, Cayce department spokeswoman Ashley Hunter said.

The car stopped near Williams Street, not far from the University of South Carolina’s baseball stadium. When officers approached the car, the driver took off, Hunter said. The car chase that ensued ended in a dead end near Gist and Catawba streets. After a brief foot chase, James allegedly “hid in the wood line to evade the officers.”

When the officers “confronted” him, James allegedly fired a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson handgun, a warrant said. A redaction on the warrant makes it unclear if bullets struck both or one officer “multiple times.” Hunter, however, said the officers were each shot in the leg. One underwent surgery, both were hospitalized until May 29.

The officers returned fire, wounding James, according to SLED. James was also hospitalized, but what kind of injuries he suffered have not been made public.

Once James was taken into custody, officers learned the gold Nissan Altima he was driving had been reported stolen in May from Orangeburg, a warrant said. The pistol he is accused of firing had its serial number scratched off, according to a different warrant.

This story was originally published June 2, 2017 at 5:14 PM with the headline "SLED arrests, identifies man accused of shooting Cayce police officers."