Search for driver who rammed patrol car in chase, 5 others arrested, SC cops say
A manhunt is underway for a South Carolina man accused of intentionally ramming a law enforcement vehicle during a chase, and five others were arrested on multiple charges, the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office said Saturday.
On Friday, a Whitmire Police Department officer saw a speeding vehicle and pulled it over at the Lil Cricket for a traffic stop, the sheriff’s office said in a news release. During the stop, the officer smelled marijuana and requested assistance from the sheriff’s office, according to the release.
Upon arrival, officers saw a gun between the passengers inside the vehicle, the sheriff’s office said.
That’s when one of the people in the vehicle, later identified as 30-year-old Piedmont resident Kyshawn Rashad Ware, pushed away from officers and ran away, according to the release. Ware was picked up by a second vehicle that left the scene, the sheriff’s office said.
The chase
A responding deputy saw the second vehicle and attempted a traffic stop, according to the release. The driver of the second vehicle intentionally rammed the deputy’s patrol car and drove off through Whitmire, the sheriff’s office said.
The fleeing vehicle approached the Whitmire Community Center, nearly 20 miles away from the initial traffic stop, according to the release. At that point three people in that moving vehicle, including Ware, jumped out and tried to run away, according to the release.
As deputies pursued the people on the run, one individual, later identified as 25-year-old Greenville resident Jalen Jawwan Hamrick, pulled a firearm on deputies, the sheriff’s office said. Hamrick was disarmed before he could fire the gun, according to the release.
Ware was taken into custody while trying to run away from law enforcement officers, the sheriff’s office said.
One person who was not stopped by deputies was the driver of the second vehicle, identified as 25-year-old Greenville resident Jonathan Deshawn Thompson, according to the release.
Thompson left in a car from the community center and there’s a search for him, the sheriff’s office said. Thompson will be charged with failing to stop for a law enforcement officer, attempted murder and resisting arrest, according to the sheriff’s office.
Charges
Ware will be charged with breach of peace (of a high and aggravated nature) and resisting arrest, the sheriff’s office said.
Hamrick will be charged with breach of peace (of a high and aggravated nature) and resisting arrest with a deadly weapon, according to the release.
Three guns were seized during the second traffic stop near the community center, the sheriff’s office said.
Back at the original traffic stop, police arrested 30-year-old Greenville resident Yachi Pinson, 28-year-old Greenville resident Kanijae Traviez Howard and 29-year-old Greer resident Sanchez Antavious Gilliam, according to the release. All three will be charged with possession of a stolen weapon and possession with intent to distribute marijuana, the sheriff’s office said.
Two guns were seized during that initial traffic stop, according to the release.
Despite those arrests, the sheriff’s office is continuing to investigate, and said additional charges are possible.
Gang members
Investigators determined that Ware, Hamrick, Thompson, Pinsonm Howard and Gilliam were in Newberry County to attend a party at the Whitmire Community Center, according to the release. All five of those who were arrested are classified as known gang members, and one of them was wearing an ankle monitor when the arrests were made, the sheriff’s office said.
“This incident is a clear reminder of how dangerous law enforcement work is each and every day,” Sheriff Lee Foster said in the release. “In a matter of moments, what began as a routine traffic stop escalated into a violent situation involving multiple armed suspects, a vehicle ramming a deputy’s patrol car, and a firearm being pulled on deputies.
“We are extremely fortunate that no officers or citizens were shot or seriously injured.”
BEHIND THE STORY
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This story was originally published February 22, 2026 at 12:44 PM.
