A South Carolina mayor died while being pursued by law enforcement on Tuesday, just days after the town’s entire police force quit due to a “hostile work environment.”
McColl Mayor George Garner II veered into eastbound traffic and collided head-on with an 18-wheeler during the police chase. Garner was connected to an active investigation by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, sources told WBTW, though details of the investigation are not clear.
“The pursuit not related to any laws being broken. The pursuit was taking place in an effort to protect the well-being of Mr. Garner,” the coroner said, adding that more information will be released in the coming days.
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On Nov. 21, just five days before the crash, police chief Bob Hale and his five officers resigned from their post. Hale announced the departure in a Facebook post, where he said he left because of “repeated acts of harassment” and “personal attacks” on his character by a town council member.
Hale added that the council member cut the police’s funding upon assuming his position.
“This lack of investment hampered our ability to operate at the standard the citizens of the Town of McColl rightfully expect and deserve,” he said in the post.
The McColl police department has been mired with conflict before. The former police chief quit this June because of a hostile work environment caused by Garner, court docs said.
Garner recently won re-election in the town of 2,000 people.
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