‘The most traumatizing day of my life:’ family sues SC trooper after traffic stop
A Richland County couple and their three children have filed a federal lawsuit against the South Carolina Department of Public Safety and a South Carolina Highway Patrol trooper, alleging the trooper wrongfully conducted a high-risk, weapons-drawn “felony stop” on their family.
The complaint, filed March 31 in the U.S. District Court in Columbia, was brought by Kartrez Rush and Jasmine Scott on behalf of themselves and their three minor children after they were pulled over, immediately held at gun point and cuffed with little explanation, according to the filing.
It names the South Carolina Department of Public Safety and Trooper Kyle J. Lyman, who is sued in his individual capacity, as defendants.
The suit is asking for actual, consequential and punitive damages for claims of unreasonable seizure and excessive force under the Fourth Amendment, along with state-law claims of false imprisonment and negligent training and supervision against the department.
The stop, conducted by Lyman on May 4, 2025, was based solely on a third-party 911 complaint that Rush was transporting stolen dirt bikes and a four-wheeler inside a U-haul trailer attached to this 2017 Ram 3500, according to the suit.
Without independently verifying the report or confirming that Rush’s vehicle matched the description shared with law enforcement, Lyman conducted a felony traffic stop on the Rush family as they were turning onto Highway 387 from Highway 527 in Sumter County, the suit said.
Attorney Tyler Bailey, who represents the family, said the incident should’ve never happened.
“There was no independent police work,” Bailey told reporters during a news conference Wednesday. Lyman “never asked for (Rush’s) driver’s license or registration, never asked if he could search the vehicle, he simply pulled his gun out on the family.”
On the day of the incident, Rush was hauling supplies connected to his wife’s event-planning business. They were on their way back home before Lyman stopped them.
Rush, who had three children in the back seat of the truck — a 4-year-old son, a 6-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter — said he and has family were confused about the reason for the stop and horrified.
“This was the most traumatizing day of my life, literally,” Rush said during a news conference. “I heard yelling and screaming in the background, and I heard my daughter say, ‘dad, they have guns pointed at us.’”
The allegation that led to the felony stop
At about 6:32 p.m., the complaint alleges, a private citizen called 911 to report that a black Dodge dually truck towing a white trailer had stolen two dirt bikes and a four-wheeler. The caller told dispatch he learned this from another unidentified person and provided no identifying information about that alleged witness, the suit says.
Dispatch issued a BOLO describing a vehicle with three occupants — one male and two females. The Rush family, however, says their vehicle did not match that description, as their truck was a Ram 3500 and had five occupants.
Despite that discrepancy, the lawsuit alleges, Lyman initiated a felony stop without observing a traffic violation or suspicious conduct himself.
The complaint describes the family’s children screaming and their daughter asking, “Dad, why are they pointing guns at us? Are they going to shoot?” It alleges officers also yelled commands at Scott and shouted at the daughter when she ducked down in fear.
Rush’s daughter tearfully recounted before reporters Wednesday why she decided to start recording the incident.
“I started recording because I’ve seen things like this happen on social media before,” the minor said, sobbing. “So, I wanted to record just in case something had happened.”
Rush and Scott say they were ordered out at gunpoint, forced to kneel and lie face-down, then handcuffed, while officers later “extracted” the children and had them stand roadside “in the blazing sun,” according to the complaint. The family says they were detained for nearly an hour and that officers searched the trailer without consent, finding nothing.
They were released at about 7:20 p.m., the suit says.
Swatting
Bailey encouraged law enforcement to rely on the fundamental of police work and not act aggressively based solely on a tip, claiming that the 911 caller could’ve been “swatting” the Rush family,
Swatting is a criminal hoax, typically involving a false serious emergency report, prompting a throng of law enforcement in response. It is often motivated by revenge or “pranking,” according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
“We intend to hold everybody fully accountable,” Bailey said. “Officers are still required to do police work. You can’t just go off hunches or tips, especially today where we have swatting. People are loosing their lives (behind) fake or false (911) calls.
