Shootout at St. Andrews hotel ends with attempted murder suspect arrested, police say
A man is under arrest after shooting at deputies during a standoff at the Red Roof Inn near St. Andrews Road, police said.
Legrantt Nesbitt will be charged with multiple counts of attempted murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime after he shot a woman and fired on Lexington County deputies while they tried to arrest him, according to deputies.
Nesbitt was wanted by Richland County Sheriff’s Department on charges of attempted murder and weapon possession after he assaulted a woman, according to a statement by department spokesperson Cynthia Roldan.
Close to 1 a.m. on Sept. 20, Roldan said Nesbitt argued with the woman at a house on the 600 block of Crawford Road, which is off Fairfield Road near Interstate 20 in North Columbia. He allegedly choked her until she passed out. He left the house and returned with a gun, shooting her in the upper body several times, according to Roldan.
The woman was able to escape the house and called police later Friday morning. Paramedics rushed her to the hospital. Nesbitt had left the house.
The Fugitive Task Force with Richland County Sheriff’s Department and U.S. Marshals tracked Nesbitt to the Red Roof Inn, which is in Lexington County.
Lexington County Sheriff’s Department was called in. The department’s patrol deputies and tactical team showed up to the hotel at about 10:30 a.m, department spokesperson Capt. Adam Myrick said.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol helped Lexington deputies block off and create a perimeter around Berryhill Drive and Woodland Hills Road near the hotel. The standoff was still going on by 3 p.m.
During the standoff, Nesbitt fired on Lexington deputies multiple times, according to Roldan.
By around 3:45 Lexington deputies had arrested Nesbitt.
The 54-year-old Nesbitt will be booked in Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. If convicted for the attempted murder and weapon charges against the woman he could go to prison for 35 years. Additional years could be added for shooting at the deputies.
This story was originally published September 20, 2019 at 4:04 PM.