WATCH: Video shows police officer ambushed in patrol car in explosion of gunfire, suspect found dead after shootout
Posted For: MugsMalone
A Greenville, South Carolina, police officer was ambushed while sitting in his patrol car after a suspect pulled alongside him and opened fire, authorities said. The attack was captured on surveillance video and ended with the suspect dead.
Video released by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) shows a vehicle entering a parking lot and stopping next to the driver’s side of a marked patrol car. Moments later, flashes of gunfire can be seen as the suspect fires into the patrol car before fleeing the scene, leaving the officer wounded inside.
The injured officer was transported to a hospital for treatment and has since been released.
Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis said deputies later located the suspect’s vehicle, leading to a brief pursuit. Authorities reported multiple exchanges of gunfire during the chase, which ended when the suspect crashed his vehicle. The suspect was found dead inside. The Greenville County Coroner identified him as 42-year-old David William Lane.
“This incident stemmed from an ambush-style attack against a Greenville city officer,” Lewis said.
The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office confirmed it had prior contact with Lane before the ambush. According to the sheriff’s office, deputies responded to multiple complaints from neighbors on January 1 and January 2 regarding Lane’s behavior and statements. While deputies found the behavior concerning, they determined it did not meet the legal standard for a criminal arrest warrant.
As a precaution, administrators at the Hunting Downs apartment complex coordinated with the sheriff’s office to hire off-duty deputies to provide additional security. That security detail began on January 8.
A mother whose daughter lives at the complex shared surveillance footage with Fox Carolina that appears to show Lane approaching her daughter’s apartment earlier this month while carrying a firearm. The woman said Lane had been stalking her daughter and other residents and had made threatening remarks.
SLED was asked to investigate the ambush by both the Greenville Police Department and the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office. The agency said it will conduct a full, independent investigation, including witness interviews and forensic analysis, before submitting its findings to prosecutors. No additional details are being released at this time.
According to SLED, this incident is the second officer-involved shooting in South Carolina in 2026 and the first involving the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office this year. The agency reported 45 officer-involved shootings statewide in 2025, seven of which involved the sheriff’s office.
About Post Author
