‘He knew he hit me’: Driver charged in hit-and-run that put SC trooper in a wheelchair

A South Carolina man faces up to 60 years in prison after, deputies say, he plowed his car into a driver’s license checkpoint, nearly killing two state troopers.

Marion Lee Turner III, 23, was arrested Tuesday and charged with two counts of attempted murder, according to a news release from the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office. He is accused of driving his car through a driver’s license checkpoint in Orangeburg County earlier this month and then driving away, leaving a trooper with serious injuries.

“He knew he hit me,” Trooper Michael Burgess said from a wheelchair during a Wednesday bond hearing for Turner. “I had eye contact as I rolled over the hood.”

Troopers were conducting a driver’s license checkpoint on Till Road near Langley Road in Orangeburg County the night of June 10.

Deputies say a dark-colored Honda approached the checkpoint before stopping and then reversing. As troopers tried to get the driver to stop through verbal commands, he put the car in drive and sped forward, plowing through the checkpoint and hitting Burgess.

Cpl. Robert Bleich said in court Wednesday that he saw his partner, Burgess, lying on the ground and didn’t know if he was dead.

“(Turner) tried to kill both of us that night,” he said, according to the sheriff’s office.

A judge declined to set bond Wednesday.

“These troopers were out there attempting to make our community safer when this individual intentionally and recklessly went through this checkpoint, nearly killing two officers,” Orangeburg County Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said in a release. “He left them out there not knowing if they were dead or alive, and his actions of leaving displayed how little he cared.”

There was no word on the extent of Burgess’ injuries, but the injured trooper said in court that he can’t work or drive.

Attempted murder carries up to 30 years in prison for each count, under South Carolina law.

This was the second time in less than two weeks that a South Carolina trooper was injured on the job, following the June 2 shooting of a trooper after a chase in York County. That suspect has been charged with attempted murder and weapon charges, and also faces federal charges.

This story was originally published June 27, 2019 at 2:00 PM.