Dashcam Footage Captures Wild Chase and Arrest of 19-Year-Old, Dubbed a 'Publicity Stunt' by Police

In early May, Shawn Thompson led local law enforcement on a chase through Summerville into Goose Creek in what police called a "publicity stunt." In newly acquired footage of the incident, a Berkeley County sheriff's deputy appeared to strike the 19-year-old several times in the back while he was on the ground with his arms "held still" by at least one other officer during his arrest.

Watch below:

Caption: Dash camera footage obtained by News 4 of the arrest of Shawn Thompson, who can be seen getting hit in the back by a Berkeley County sheriff's deputy during his arrest on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (Summerville Police Department via FOIA)

The Berkeley County Sheriff's Office said it needed time to pull and review records related to the incident before commenting.

The footage, which comes from two different Summerville Police Department patrol vehicles' dash cameras, shows Thompson driving his car into the loading bay area of a Walmart off St. James Avenue in Goose Creek before officers approach with guns drawn and remove him from the vehicle. Law enforcement can be seen pulling Thompson from the black Camaro and forcing him to the ground while attempting to place him in handcuffs as the deputy appears to strike the suspect in the area of his back, rearing his fist back past his ear and delivering at least five blows before pulling out of a sixth.

In one police report from the incident, a Summerville officer wrote:

Myself and other Officer's (Berkeley County Sheriff's Office and Goose Creek Police Department) forcefully removed Thompson from his vehicle. I used an under hook technique to control Thompson's arms while handcuffing took place. While I held Thompson's arms still, a Berkeley County Deputy delivered several closed fist strikes to the back area of Thompson. No further action.

A different officer noted that Thompson was pulled out of the car, brought to the ground, and placed in handcuffs "with little force used by SPD officers," while another reported that the suspect was taken into custody "without further incident" before he transported him to Roper Berkeley Hospital for medical clearance prior to his booking in the Berkeley County jail.

Thompson was arrested around 4 a.m. following a chase through Summerville after an officer noticed him turn off his headlights to "black out" his car, which was also missing a license plate. Along the chase, he eclipsed speeds of 102 mph and rammed a marked Summerville police patrol vehicle. He was charged with driving without a license, failure to stop for blue lights, providing false information to police, first-degree assault and battery, and simple possession of marijuana. He received $51,312.50 total bond.

Summerville police reports state that Thompson was wearing racing gloves and a motorcycle helmet, as video shows, and was found to be in possession of three THC vape pens, a katana, two cell phones, a tablet, and a GoPro video camera, all of which were submitted into evidence.

READ MORE | " 19-year-old arrested after police chase 'publicity stunt' through Summerville "

Immediately after being taken into custody, Thompson can be seen in video captured from inside a Summerville patrol vehicle screaming to officers and asking to kiss "his wife" and "his girl," referring to his car. "Bro, you guys are so lucky I didn't get that on live, man," Thompson said amidst giving officers seemingly false information about his identity and asking how much time he'd serve in jail. "Bro, I was just tryna get some content, man," he continued.

Caption: Footage from inside a Summerville police squad car shows Thompson jovially interacting with arresting officers after his "publicity stunt." (Summerville Police Department via FOIA)

"Hey, who punched me? Someone punched me in the back, man," Thompson would go on to remark. "That wasn't cool."

Summerville Police Chief Douglas Wright denounced Thompson's actions as reckless in a statement announcing his arrest back in May.

This suspect endangered the lives of civilians and law enforcement officers as a publicity stunt. His actions were reckless, which is another example of why there needs to be enhancements to the penalties for people who choose to flee from law enforcement in our state," he said.

This is a developing story and may be updated.