A shelter-in-place advisory that locked down part of Berkeley County's Nexton community was lifted after deputies tracked down an armed man and took him into custody without further incident. The advisory had covered the area around Brighton Park Boulevard and Great Lawn Drive while deputies searched for a man reported to be armed and suicidal.
The Berkeley County Sheriff's Office said deputies were called to the area after a report of an armed, suicidal man who fled from law enforcement with a rifle, according to ABC News 4. Deputies eventually located him near Elevate at Brighton Park Apartments and the surrounding wooded area, where he was taken into custody safely and without further incident.
Authorities described the man as having long, dark hair and said he was wearing a gray shirt and blue pants. He was also barefoot when deputies found him, the outlet reported.
What Residents Were Told To Do
While deputies searched the Elevate at Brighton Park Apartments complex and nearby wooded areas, law enforcement asked residents near Brighton Park Boulevard and Great Lawn Drive to stay inside. Officials urged people to avoid gathering outdoors, steer clear of nearby wooded areas, and stay away from the immediate area entirely while the search was underway. Residents were also asked to check their security cameras for any suspicious activity during that time.
Once deputies confirmed the man was safely in custody, the shelter-in-place advisory for the Brighton Park Boulevard and Great Lawn Drive area was lifted, and residents were told they could resume normal activities. Law enforcement said it would share more information as the situation allowed.
Nexton's Recent Run-Ins With Crime
The incident is the latest security scare to hit the fast-growing Nexton development, which has also dealt with a separate vehicle-theft investigation in 2021. Berkeley County deputies said 19-year-old Dashawn Lamont Seabrook was wanted for theft of a motor vehicle and tampering with a motor vehicle after he and three other people entered the Nexton community on the morning of April 4th intending to break into cars, according to CountOn2.
Deputies said personal property, including firearms, were removed from several vehicles during that spree, and investigators warned at the time that Seabrook was considered armed and dangerous, urging anyone who spotted him not to attempt an apprehension and to call 911 instead. The outlet later reported that Seabrook was apprehended and charged with five counts of breaking into motor vehicles, grand larceny, and criminal conspiracy. That case remains unrelated to the shelter-in-place situation, but it underscores the string of alarming incidents the Nexton community weathered in 2021.
