A fire chief in South Carolina is facing a lawsuit filed by the mothers of two teenagers, who allege that his behavior was “utterly intolerable in a civilized community.” The lawsuit claims that Townville Fire Chief Billy McAdams and his son chased the two 17-year-olds at high speeds and held them at gunpoint last summer, after the teens used McAdams’ driveway to turn around, as reported by the Washington Post. In 911 calls obtained by the Post and Fox Carolina, the teens described being chased by armed men in two pickup trucks. One of the teenagers stated, “They’re yelling and trying to run us off the road. And all we did was we just made a little quick turn around in their yard, gave them a wave because they were in their garage.”
When speaking to the Oconee County dispatcher, the teenage driver explained that they intended to pull over, but the men were “extremely enraged” and they were afraid of having a gun pulled on them. According to the lawsuit, the pursuers boxed the teenagers in at an intersection. One of the teenagers told the dispatcher, “They’re making us get out of the car with guns. Ma’am, I’m sorry. I’m getting—we’re getting on the ground.” McAdams had contacted Anderson County dispatchers using his radio, claiming that he “possibly witnessed a robbery” and was following a car. Recordings show that once authorities realized McAdams was one of the pursuers mentioned by the teens, the Oconee County dispatcher asked Anderson County to tell the fire chief to put his gun away. However, it was discovered that he had already hung up by that point.
The lawsuit alleges that the teenagers became lost while scouting locations to hunt geese and decided to use McAdams’ “large, well-maintained gravel drive” as a place to turn around. McAdams and his son are accused of assault and false imprisonment. The fire chief denies these accusations, although a court filing confirms that he admitted to chasing the car, pointing a gun at the teenagers, and ordering them to lie on the ground. According to a report from the sheriff’s office, McAdams stated that he decided to chase the car due to a history of thefts at his home. No charges were filed at the time, but the sheriff’s office recently reopened the investigation based on new information. (Read more South Carolina stories.)
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