Man who fired shots at officers during high-speed chase sentenced in Colleton County

A man who fired at officers during a high-speed chase through Dorchester and Colleton counties last year was sentenced to 25 years in prison today.

A jury convicted Bronson Shelley, 31, of one count of attempted murder and possession of a weapon during commission of a violent crime, according to the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

According to testimony during the two-day trial in Walterboro, on the night of July 12, 2011, Dorchester County sheriff’s deputies tried to pull over a stolen Acura sedan on southbound Interstate 95 near mile marker 73 for several moving violations. The driver sped up, leading deputies on a chase at speeds in more than 100 mph.

Officers from seven law-enforcement agencies eventually joined the chase.

The Acura exited I-95 onto S.C. 61 in Colleton County and continued to travel at high speeds, nearly colliding with other vehicles. Shelley, the passenger, began firing shots out of the car’s sunroof.

A deputy finally rammed the car and drove it off the roadway. Both suspects ran into a wooded area, with Shelley still firing shots at officers. The pair was apprehended with the help of a police dog a short time later.

One officer sustained a hand injury during the pursuit, but none was struck by bullets.

Shelley, who was apparently homeless at the time, is wanted in Las Vegas for pandering a child, pandering, child endangerment, living from the earnings of a prostitute and furnishing transportation to a prostitute, according to the solicitor’s office.

Charges against the driver, Maurio Doetrel Rivers, 35, of Charleston, are pending.