According to Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office, on Friday, October 3rd around 1:40pm, deputies responded to an attempted burglary by an armed suspect on the 900 block of Wateree Boulevard in Camden. The homeowner could see the suspect at her door from her doorbell camera. The suspect had a mask partially covering his face, some birthday balloons in one hand, and what appeared to be a handgun in his other hand. She refused to open the door and called 911. The suspect then attempted to force his way into the residence. He was not successful. He then got into the passenger seat of a white SUV with no tags and left with another suspect driving.
Deputies arrived in the area within minutes and were able to locate the suspect’s vehicle driving nearby. Deputies attempted to stop the vehicle with blue lights. Suspects refused to stop. A chase began with speeds nearing 100 mph. Suspects then lost control of their vehicle and crashed on Broad Street (Hwy 521) headed toward I-20. The vehicle overturned and struck multiple trees before coming to a stop. The driver (Trainiece Shantelle Vasquez) was taken into custody out of the driver’s seat of the vehicle and treated by EMS. The passenger (James Allen, III) ran from the crash scene and was apprehended moments later by other responding deputies. Allen broke his arm during the crash and was taken to the hospital for treatment. The birthday balloons were released into the air during the chase. A K9 search of the area suspects released the balloons at located a handgun believed to have been used in the incident.
Our investigation leads us to believe the suspects knew our victim before this incident and that this was not a random act. We have no reason to believe any other citizen was in danger.
“I thank God no one other than the suspects were injured during this incident. Our victim’s quick reaction, our dispatcher’s timely relay of information, and our deputies’ fast response made these arrests possible,” Sheriff Lee Boan states. “We plan to do all we can to prevent these criminals from trying to harm anyone else.”
Both suspects are from Florida and both have prior criminal records. Both are being held at the Kershaw County Detention Center. Trainiece Shantelle Vasquez (37) is charged with failure to stop for blue lights resulting in great bodily harm, accessory after the fact to a felony, and criminal conspiracy. Vasquez’s bond is set at $65,000 (cash/surety). James Allen, III (30) is charged with burglary 1st degree, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and criminal conspiracy. Allen’s bond is currently denied until he can go before a circuit court judge.
