Police say the manhunt began with a knife call and ended with the suspect hiding in a boat after a crash near a Sullivan’s Island church.
Police in Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina, have shared new information about the events leading up to a large-scale manhunt involving multiple agencies in the state and how they eventually apprehended the suspect.
The authorities revealed that the search for Justin Collin Adams of Greenville started when a call came in reporting a man armed with a knife in the 2700 block of Ion Avenue around 12:45 p.m. the previous day. However, before officers could arrive at the scene, dispatchers informed them that the suspect had fled in a black sedan.
Shortly after the initial report, emergency dispatch received notifications of a black sedan striking several individuals at Sunrise Presbyterian Church located at 3222 Middle Street. It was confirmed that an adult and two juveniles were hit, with one of the juveniles and the adult being transported to the hospital.
Police said the suspect ran from the vehicle, and a search involving multiple local, state, and federal agencies followed. Led by Sullivan’s Island and Isle of Palms law enforcement and first responders, more than 130 personnel from multiple agencies, including the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, and the Department of Homeland Security, searched for Adams on the ground and in the air.
Just before 6 p.m., police said that aerial support spotted Adams hiding in a boat behind a home in the 3200 block of Jasper Boulevard, and he was taken into custody without further incident.
Sullivan’s Island Police didn’t provide an update on the condition of the two hospitalized victims in the case. They deferred to the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office for additional information about the suspect and his current charges.
