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Store owner takes law into his own hands
Intruder suffers shotgun wounds at business that has been frequent target of crime
BY JOHN CHAMBLISS
Of The Post and Courier Staff
RAVENEL--Cecil and Jerry Reynolds were fed up with people breaking into their tire store.
About 4 a.m. Thursday, Jerry "did what the law allows him to do," Charleston County Sheriff Al Cannon Jr. said.
Reynolds, 49, shot a man in the face with a 12-gauge shotgun. It happened outside Reynolds Tires when an alleged burglar drove into him with a stolen car. Charles-ton County Sheriff's officials said.
After he was shot, driver Clayton Brown swerved the stolen black Volvo and crashed near the store. Brown, 38, was at Medical University Hospital in critical condition Thursday night.
Jerry Reynolds didn't want to talk Thursday about what happened.
"I'm proud of him," said his father, Cecil Reynolds, 78. "He's a pretty levelheaded guy."
Ninth Circuit Solicitor Ralph Hoisington told sheriff's authorities that Reynolds will not be charged, Clark said.
Historically, South Carolina case law has upheld the use of deadly force as a defense when a person's life, home or business is threatened.
In 2001, then-Attorney General Charlie Condon instituted a home-invasion policy that protected citizens from prosecution if they were defending themselves against intruders.
Cannon doesn't recommend that every business owner take the law into his or her hands, but he said Reynolds had every right to protect his property.
Brown will be charged with second-degree burglary and possession of a stolen vehicle, police said.
Passenger Tajuana Ford, 25, of Charleston, faces similar charges.
Cecil and Jerry Reynolds live about 50 yards from their tire business. Since Cecil Reynolds opened the business in 1975, he has installed an intercom similar to a baby monitor that is connected to his home.
They awoke at about 4 a.m. Thursday to the sound of a brick breaking the front door at Reynolds Tires, at 4317 McCombs Road.
The younger Reynolds grabbed his shotgun and the two went to investigate but found nothing. They cleaned up the broken glass and returned home, Cecil Reynolds said.
Minutes later, the two again heard the sound of glass breaking on the intercom.
Jerry Reynolds grabbed his shotgun, walked toward the store and saw someone enter a black Volvo.
Reynolds ordered Brown to get out of the car, but he refused, sheriff's officials reported.
"He kept saying, "turn the engine off, turn the engine off," Cecil Reynolds said.
Brown gunned the engine and drove toward Reynolds, striking him in the leg.
Reynolds then fired buckshot into the front windshield, hitting Brown in the face and neck, detectives reported.
Brown swerved the car, hit a sign, then crashed the car in some bushes.
On Thursday afternoon, it was business as usual at the old store, where longtime customers and friends stopped in to check on Jerry and Cecil Reynolds.
Break-ins and robberies are something they have heard about before. The worst incident occurred 10 years ago.
Jerry Reynolds was watching the store while his father was at a funeral when a man entered the store and placed a 9 mm handgun to Reynolds' head and took cash from the register.
About eight months ago, the store was robbed by five men from Mount Pleasant who stole cash, beer and cigarettes.
http://preview.charleston.net/stories/default_pf.aspx?newsID=37674
Normally I try to keep the title the same as the title of the story, but I wasn't going to dignify that title with a repetition. It made the store owner sound like a vigilante, rather than just someone defending himself and his property.
Intruder suffers shotgun wounds at business that has been frequent target of crime
BY JOHN CHAMBLISS
Of The Post and Courier Staff
RAVENEL--Cecil and Jerry Reynolds were fed up with people breaking into their tire store.
About 4 a.m. Thursday, Jerry "did what the law allows him to do," Charleston County Sheriff Al Cannon Jr. said.
Reynolds, 49, shot a man in the face with a 12-gauge shotgun. It happened outside Reynolds Tires when an alleged burglar drove into him with a stolen car. Charles-ton County Sheriff's officials said.
After he was shot, driver Clayton Brown swerved the stolen black Volvo and crashed near the store. Brown, 38, was at Medical University Hospital in critical condition Thursday night.
Jerry Reynolds didn't want to talk Thursday about what happened.
"I'm proud of him," said his father, Cecil Reynolds, 78. "He's a pretty levelheaded guy."
Ninth Circuit Solicitor Ralph Hoisington told sheriff's authorities that Reynolds will not be charged, Clark said.
Historically, South Carolina case law has upheld the use of deadly force as a defense when a person's life, home or business is threatened.
In 2001, then-Attorney General Charlie Condon instituted a home-invasion policy that protected citizens from prosecution if they were defending themselves against intruders.
Cannon doesn't recommend that every business owner take the law into his or her hands, but he said Reynolds had every right to protect his property.
Brown will be charged with second-degree burglary and possession of a stolen vehicle, police said.
Passenger Tajuana Ford, 25, of Charleston, faces similar charges.
Cecil and Jerry Reynolds live about 50 yards from their tire business. Since Cecil Reynolds opened the business in 1975, he has installed an intercom similar to a baby monitor that is connected to his home.
They awoke at about 4 a.m. Thursday to the sound of a brick breaking the front door at Reynolds Tires, at 4317 McCombs Road.
The younger Reynolds grabbed his shotgun and the two went to investigate but found nothing. They cleaned up the broken glass and returned home, Cecil Reynolds said.
Minutes later, the two again heard the sound of glass breaking on the intercom.
Jerry Reynolds grabbed his shotgun, walked toward the store and saw someone enter a black Volvo.
Reynolds ordered Brown to get out of the car, but he refused, sheriff's officials reported.
"He kept saying, "turn the engine off, turn the engine off," Cecil Reynolds said.
Brown gunned the engine and drove toward Reynolds, striking him in the leg.
Reynolds then fired buckshot into the front windshield, hitting Brown in the face and neck, detectives reported.
Brown swerved the car, hit a sign, then crashed the car in some bushes.
On Thursday afternoon, it was business as usual at the old store, where longtime customers and friends stopped in to check on Jerry and Cecil Reynolds.
Break-ins and robberies are something they have heard about before. The worst incident occurred 10 years ago.
Jerry Reynolds was watching the store while his father was at a funeral when a man entered the store and placed a 9 mm handgun to Reynolds' head and took cash from the register.
About eight months ago, the store was robbed by five men from Mount Pleasant who stole cash, beer and cigarettes.
http://preview.charleston.net/stories/default_pf.aspx?newsID=37674
Normally I try to keep the title the same as the title of the story, but I wasn't going to dignify that title with a repetition. It made the store owner sound like a vigilante, rather than just someone defending himself and his property.
