A South Carolina police officer's keen observation skills and instincts are being credited with leading to the arrest of a shooting suspect during a traffic stop last month.
The incident happened early May 28 when North Myrtle Beach Police Officer Kayla Wallace pulled over a Jeep that had run a red light, the department stated in a social media post last week.
As Wallace, talked to the driver and her male passenger, she noticed the woman appeared distressed.
"While the male passenger wasn't looking at the driver, the female silently mouthed 'Help Me' repeatedly," the department stated.
Wallace caught the furtive message and took the passenger from the car and put him in the back of her cruiser. Talking with the driver, the officer discovered that had allegedly shot someone.
An alert went out moments after the stop identifying the pulled over vehicle as one involved in an earlier shooting.
"Due to Officer Wallace proactively patrolling the streets of North Myrtle Beach, even to the last 30 minutes of her shift, a suspect in a shooting was arrested and an unlawfully carried pistol was recovered underneath the suspect's seat," the department stated. "Our department and our community is lucky to have Officer Wallace. Great Job!"
