NC man facing indictments, accused of carjacking off duty officer outside Orangeburg

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO)– According to Acting United States Attorney for the District of South Carolina M. Rhett DeHart, a jury in Columbia returned indictments against a man accused of carjacking an off-duty police officer outside Orangeburg. Authorities say 33-year-old Shia Lee is charged with carjacking and brandishing a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

Shia Lee
Courtesy: Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office

Authorities say the incident occurred on December 19, 2020 at a rest area outside Orangeburg. According to investigators, Lee brandished a gun and stole a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee from two people, one of whom was an off-duty police officer. Officials say Lee later ditched the car and stole a 2014 Dodge Caravan which was running outside a convenience store in Branchville.

Officials say none of the victims of these incidents were injured.

“Lee’s alleged actions placed his victims, law enforcement officers, and the public in great danger,” said Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Columbia Special Agent in Charge, Susan Ferensic.  “The quick action taken by our law enforcement partners was vital in helping us put together this case for indictment.”

If convicted, authorities say Lee faces a minimum sentence of seven years in prison and a maximum of life, as well as a $250,000 fine and five years of court ordered supervision if released from prison.