Two killed in traffic accident near Trident hospital
By Schuyler Kropf
The driver of a car fleeing North Charleston police early this morning before ramming a stopped vehicle near Charleston Southern University was being pursued in a case of criminal domestic violence.
Both the suspect, Jason Grimsley, and the female driver of the stopped car, Andrea Holmes, died as a result.
North Charleston Police said today they had responded to an apartment on Atlantic Palms Boulevard in reference to a domestic violence call. Officers met with the female victim who stated her boyfriend assaulted her, took the keys to her Cadillac and left.
An officer saw the suspect vehicle, followed it and initiated his blue lights. But the driver did not stop, ran the stop sign at a high rate of speed, turned right on Highway 78 and accelerated, police said.
The officer then observed the Cadillac collide with a sport utility vehicle at Medical Plaza and Highway 78. The SUV caught fire on impact and the fire was put out by several officers on scene and fire crews.
Holmes, the driver of the SUV, a 50-year-old Ladson woman, was pronounced dead on scene and the passenger inside of the SUV was transported to MUSC in critical condition.
Grimsley, the driver of the Cadillac, was trapped inside of his vehicle but attempted to free himself several times and flee. He was later extracted from the vehicle and transported to MUSC in critical condition where he later died.
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Comments
I_Love_d_Peninsula (anonymous) says...
Senseless.
May 11, 2009 at 11:08 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mb300sl (anonymous) says...
Sorry for the innocent people killed and injured in this tragedy...what a shame.
May 11, 2009 at 11:55 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SeaSaw (anonymous) says...
You would have thought that the cops would have learned their lesson after the Donald Proctor chase and accident. I never understood why they waited for him to get in his car to give chase, when they could have just cuffed him in his front yard instead. Now in this case, I'm sure the female victim gave them her boyfriends name when she made the police report. It's clear they knew whom they were looking for, so why endanger the public with a chase when they could have issued an arrest warrant instead. Now we have three unnecessary deaths.
May 11, 2009 at 12:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
CaptPete (anonymous) says...
The officer should have backed off and called for back up. High speed chases often end in someone getting hurt.
May 11, 2009 at 12:31 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
armymom (anonymous) says...
Wasn't his name William Proctor? The Summerville Rapist? I agree with your point, SeaSaw.
May 11, 2009 at 12:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
eyeinthesky (anonymous) says...
Duncan Proctor.. geez.. We should give everyone the opportunity to escape!
May 11, 2009 at 12:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
divagranny (anonymous) says...
Why do these cowards beat up on women and children? someone that can't fight back, and run like hell when the POLICE arrives stand up and take your punishment like a man ,LOL, I MEAN the MAN you think you are !!! GIRLS THIS IS NOT LOVE WAKE UP PLEASE!
May 11, 2009 at 12:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jca (anonymous) says...
duncan proctor and he raped women all over north charleston
you people amaze me. death happens fact of life yes im sorry it happened
this man knew he was in troublr and fled. the cops saw him and tried to pull him over he gunned it and the cops went after him. this man not the cops caused this accident. he broke the law and fled and killed himself and an innocent person. no the girl shouldnt have had to die. but she did because someone else decided to break the law.
this cop wasnt the only chasing him. the cop didnt hit and kill the girl, many cops put out the fire.
this man was coward and deserved what he got. he should have manned up and stopped and he didnt
my heart goes out to this well both young women
May 11, 2009 at 12:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SeaSaw (anonymous) says...
Eyeinthesky - Thanks for the correct name, it's been so long I took the name Duncan and make it Donald. I also said three deaths when there was only two.
May 11, 2009 at 12:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SeaSaw (anonymous) says...
Below is something I found on the internet, while researching police department policies regarding pursuits. I like what this guy has to say.
-------------------------------------------------------
This topic has been dwelled upon for decades. The easy solution is to make the penalty so sever that only someone wanted for a violent felony will even think about running. The average bank robber serves around 7 years. Make the penalty for running from the police, for ANY reason at all 20 years with 80% required, and make it mandatory consecutive time, not concurrent. Then the average bank robber who runs from the police is going to serve 23 years. I think that sounds great! The first time someone goes to jail for 20 years because they didn't want a ticket will open eyes all over the country and shortly there after I believe you will see chases to be almost non-existent. Sure there will be a few sacrificial lambs when this law comes out, but if you think of how many people they endangered during there little romp through the streets, I won't feel bad for them. Also, anyone that runs from the police should NEVER again in their lifetime have a valid drivers license.
Mark Lewis
Police Officer City of South Amboy
South Amboy, NJ
May 11, 2009 at 1:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
coolfreaknbeans (anonymous) says...
This is senseless and so sad. The other day there was a chase through 3 counties. Police backed off as to not endanger the public and then guess what happened? The guy tried to ram cars on 26 so they started to chase him again. It ended in a foot pursuit through Summerville. They had road blocks everywhere. So, police are put in a difficult position. They stopped pursuing that one guy and then he tried to hurt people. The only person responsible for this is the pos who did it.
May 11, 2009 at 1:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Yoopergirl (anonymous) says...
SeaSaw...I agree with the article that tougher penalties need to be handed down in these cases. However, I could see this particular proposal backfiring in a big way. The type of people who run from the law have generally been in the system their whole lives, and they're going to run no matter what. If they know they're going to spend 23 years in jail if caught, they're going to decide they have nothing else to lose, and the consequences will most likely affect innocent lives. Folks like that couldn't care less if they have a valid drivers license.
May 11, 2009 at 1:21 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
JDHawg (anonymous) says...
They should left him trapped in the car and trew a lit cig or match in or under the car. I smell a law suit.
May 11, 2009 at 1:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
CWL922 (anonymous) says...
If police back off of every chase, everyone will start running when chased.
May 11, 2009 at 2:18 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SeaSaw (anonymous) says...
Yoopergirl - You have a valid point, but in most cases the police do not know whom their chasing. My point was that they knew who they were chasing and why. I'm just thinking that an arrest warrant would have been a better option. Also what about helicopters? Not to many people try or can out run them, and although expensive it would be less than lawsuits.
I was watching a foot chase on Cops one evening. After the cop caught the suspect, the cop then asked the suspect why he was running? The suspect answered: because you were chasing me. LOL
Now, more input below from a police officer regarding pursuits.
We (Police) should not pursue vehicles at dangerous speeds, endangering our lives and the lives of innocent citizens. The end to most of these high-speed chases is an accident. Many of these accidents cause major, often fatal, injuries. It is just not worth it. With today's technology, we should be given the tools to stop a vehicle without a chase. 99.9% of the time, it is just not worth it. The crime and suspects are petty and will eventually be caught by other means. If the citizens who pay our wages and direct our actions want us to apprehend dangerous fleeing felons they can provide us with the tools to make these apprehensions safely. Police are courageous and daring and have no problem doing what ever it takes to capture a felon, but that does not mean we are stupid and it does not mean we should take on the burden of killing or seriously injuring a citizens when smarter actions should be taken.
Respectfully,
DAI Curtis Cashen
May 11, 2009 at 2:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justbeingme (anonymous) says...
This is simply awful. Just to think that, you are sitting in your car, probably waiting for the light to change and your life ends instantly. Unfortunately, this can happen to anyone-at anytime. This same thing happened West Ashley, several years ago, along Hwy 17. A young man pulled onto Hwy 17 and was struck by the officer's vehicle while in pursuit without sirens or headlights! If the cops had stuck around, Grimsley probably would have returned (as they usually do). No arrests were made but two persons died-one due to stupidity and the other, innocently. This family is due an apology from NCPD as well as the family of Jason Grimsley. NCPD needs to take a serious look at this situation. The only bright side (sarcastically)--I guess the girlfriend wouldn't have to worry about abuse anymore. Was it really worth the chase ?? I don't think so.
May 11, 2009 at 3:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
TacrolimusAddict (anonymous) says...
justbeingme
Jason Grimsley's family does not deserve an apology from NCPD. They should have raised him to not beat the crap out of his girlfriend or run from the cops. By the way, the girlfriend's father or brothers would probably have fixed his butt, if given the chance.
May 11, 2009 at 7:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
TRODI (anonymous) says...
Poor woman was just let go from here job a few weeks ago.i knew her from around work but really didnt know her.rip!
May 11, 2009 at 7:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
LowCountryCrime (anonymous) says...
Vehicle pursuits are a touchy subject in law enforcement. There are those that believe fleeing vehicles should NEVER be pursued. Unfortunately, once the criminal element discovers a department has a "no pursuit" policy, they will flee more often than not. Agencies with absolute no pursuit policies are largely ineffective at apprehending major criminals.
During a pursuit, the officer and the supervisor monitoring on the radio must take many things into account - offense, speed, traffic conditions, any pedestrians out and about, and the actions of the violator. The officer must do this while ensuring he is driving in such a manner that he does not put citizens, or himself, at risk. Based on the news reports I saw, from start to finish this pursuit probably lasted less than two minutes. I would guess that by the time the officer got the initial info called in, the collision was only seconds away.
Pursuing a suspect in a CDV case presents additional considerations. The charge is criminal domestic VIOLENCE. Without knowing the full details of the situation I will put forth the following scenario. Suspect beats hell out of girlfriend. Officers find suspect, who then flees in a vehicle. Officers call off the pursuit. Unfortunately, we don't have enough police officers to babysit ever CDV victim. Officers do up a report, then move on to other calls for service, which have always been quite high in North Charleston. While the zone officers are out handling other situations, the suspect returns to the scene of the crime and murders his significant other.
Guess who is going to get blamed and sued. Yep, the officers, the P.D. and the City (or County, as the case may be.) Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
Complicating matters in this incident is the "suicide by cop" the suspect's girlfriend pointed out was the suspect's goal. Some of you may remember the pursuit of Ronald Burris many years ago. He, too, wished to commit suicide by cop. He ended being shot twelve times at the end of the pursuit when tried to run over officers attempting to take him into custody.
May 11, 2009 at 8:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justbeingme (anonymous) says...
Let me rephrase that......Grimsley's family and NCPD owes the family of Ms. Holmes a sincere apology. Thanks Addict
May 11, 2009 at 9:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
isharemyopinions (anonymous) says...
US Supreme Court took away the liability away from LEO's during vehicle pursuits. As long as the officer acted with the police department's policy and with the law, the PD can not be sued.
May 12, 2009 at 2:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
palmettotree (anonymous) says...
Trodi who are you talking about? Andrea Holmes was not let go. She retired.
May 12, 2009 at 7:47 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
thethruth21 (anonymous) says...
to anyone with half a brain reading this..i know its been a while since this was put on here..but i had to calm down before i spoke out of anger. the police were wrong..i personally made the police call about jason..he was my uncle. he did NOT hit my aunt he pushed past her to out of the door. the police officer sat outside their apartment for atleast 20 minutes before trying to go after him. while at this time he hadn't left yet. i told the officer numerous time he was at the end of the steps but she didnt go over there. he was NOT a violent person. everyone has problems in their own lives. he did NOT hit that woman on purpose. he hit the brakes and tried to swerve. guess they just decided to leave that out huh? anyone who wants to know more question and do not understand that if you are crying and upset that maybe you cant see straight but at least he tried to swerve. so before you go on here and try to say that he got what he deserved or that he was a pos or any of that. get your facts straight. because god knows you don't want what you deserve. no one does. instead of lashing out about something before you know the truth of the matter is a sign of ignorence.
my family and me send our prayers out to the other family whole heartedly- we are sorry that two wonderful people had to be taken from us.
and like i said-this is the truth-i made the call, yes that was me on the tv calling the police that was my voice-so you can believe what you want or you can believe the truth-
July 22, 2009 at 7:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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