NC man pleads guilty to armed carjacking of off-duty SC police detective. What to know
A North Carolina man pleaded guilty in federal court to an armed carjacking of an off-duty South Carolina police detective and his wife, the U.S. Attorney’s office said in a news release.
Shia Lee, 35, of Burlington, North Carolina, on Dec. 19, 2020, walked up to the Jeep Cherokee owned by a police detective and his wife, brandished a handgun and demanded they get out of the vehicle.
The couple, who were traveling along Interstate 26 had stopped in the Orangeburg-area rest stop to switch drivers, complied with the order and allowed Lee to drive away. The detective’s weapon and police badge were in the Jeep.
A day later, Lee was apprehended after police received a 911 call for another alleged vehicle theft in the Branchville-area. Denmark police pursued Lee and used stop sticks.
The off-duty detective’s vehicle was later found abandoned and Lee’s vehicle was also found by the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office at the rest stop with another firearm.
Lee faces up seven years to life in prison and a fine of $250,000.
