SLED: 2 in custody from SC after York County SWAT standoff in Tega Cay; weapons found
Two people are in custody after an hours-long standoff with South Carolina SWAT, federal agents, and other police in Tega Cay, officials said.
Hardee Baldwin, 27, and a woman who has not been identified, surrendered to police after several hours inside the York County home, said Tommy Crosby, spokesman for the State Law Enforcement Division.
The suspects were wanted in Colleton County near Charleston, Crosby said.
The pair were inside a home on Palymyra Drive in Tega Cay, Crosby said. The resident of the home was not believed to be involved, Crosby said.
Inside the home, SLED agents and Department of Homeland Security federal officers found several weapons that are connected to Colleton County cases, Crosby said.
“Multiple weapons were found and seized,” Crosby said.
Baldwin was wanted in Colleton County and Walterboro for grand larceny and burglary connected to weapons and a vehicle, Crosby said.
No one was hurt in the incident, Crosby said.
“Both suspects came out peacefully,” Crosby said.
The situation went on for several hours after SLED agents arrived around 9 a.m., officials said. SLED SWAT arrived around noon, along with Homeland Security federal agents, York County SWAT, Tega Cay officers, York County Emergency Management, and others.
The situation ended after 6 p.m.
SLED crime scene and forensics remained on scene after dark Friday.
Police blocked several roads for hours as officers negotiated with the suspect using a public address system. A bomb squad robot that could be seen from a barricade where the media and public were cordoned was also deployed during the day.
SLED went to the scene to serve the Colleton County and Walterboro arrest warrants, Crosby said.
“We appreciate the coordination and cooperation of law enforcement and the community so that this could end with a positive result after a dangerous situation,” Crosby said.
Baldwin and the female subject are expected to be booked into the York County jail, then transferred to Colleton County, Crosby said.
During the afternoon, Capt. James Patterson of the Tega Cay Police Department said Palmyra Drive and other streets in the area were blocked. Residents were allowed to drive into their neighborhood shortly after the situation was resolved around 6:30 p.m., officials said.
The incident also caused a lockdown of an elementary school and pushed Fort Mill school officials to alter bus schedules for three routes.
Tega Cay Elementary School was on a lockdown for a period of time Friday afternoon, school officials said. Normal bus schedules for dismissal were planned, with the exception of one bus route for students from three area schools who live in the affected neighborhood, said Joe Burke, spokesman for the Fort Mill school district.
One bus route was affected for students from Tega Cay Elementary School, Gold Hill Middle School, and Fort Mill High School, Burke said.
Parents of those students were contacted by the school district and told the students for those routes would have to be picked up at school, Burke said.
Tega Cay is in northern York County along Lake Wylie, south of the North Carolina state line. Police and city officials posted a Twitter message about an hour after it began to give residents more information..
York County Sheriff’s Office deputies and SWAT members assisted SLED, said Trent Faris spokesman for the sheriff’s office.
This story was originally published March 6, 2020 at 1:16 PM.
