The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) has charged Anthony Hayes Cantwell, 39, of Augusta in a May 8 officer-involved shooting in Aiken County. According to a SLED report, Cantwell aggressively pointed an AR-15 rifle - without cause - at an Aiken County deputy following an attempted traffic stop on Interstate 20.
Investigators say state troopers tried to pull Cantwell over for speeding and when he didn't stop a car chase began—involving the highway patrol and Aiken deputies. The chase ended near mile marker 23 when the vehicle hit the cable median barrier.
SLED reports Cantwell got out of the car and ran before officers caught up with him in a wooded area. That's when the encounter occurred and Cantwell was shot.
Cantwell is charged with two counts of 1st Degree Assault and Battery, Possession of a Firearm or Ammunition by Person Convicted of Certain Crimes, and three counts of Pointing and Presenting a Firearm. He is in jail at the Aiken County Detention Center.
The incident on May 8 marks the 14th officer-involved shooting in the state this year and the second involving the Aiken County Sheriff's Office. There were 45 officer-involved shootings in South Carolina last year—two of those involving the Aiken County Sheriff's Office.