Vehicle shielded responding officers and civilians from gunfire.
COWARD, S.C. — A newly acquired Lenco Armored Vehicles BearCat is being credited by the Sheriff of Florence County South Carolina with saving his life, the lives of his officers and nearby civilians during a recent standoff. In addition to shielding officers from gunfire, the vehicle was successfully used as a barricade to protect civilians across the street from the incident.
“This is exactly what the BearCat is designed to do: provide cover for responding officers so they can do their jobs. We are proud one of our vehicles could keep the men and women of the Florence County Sheriff’s Department as well as bystanders safe,” said Lenny Light, Lenco Armored Vehicles vice president.
Sheriff T.J. Joye and 10 other officers responded to the scene in Coward, S.C. after 9-1-1 calls reported a suspect was threatening to set fire to a home and shooting outside of the residence. The suspect fired at least two rifle rounds at officers upon their arrival, striking the BearCat in a rear window and door, inches from where the Sherriff was sitting. After a standoff, the suspect again opened fire on officers before being taken into custody. No officers or civilians were injured during the incident.
The BearCat was acquired by the department approximately two weeks prior to the incident, a purchase decision made by the Sheriff and approved by Florence County voters to bring a rescue and response vehicle to their community.
“In learning of previous response missions and of course with this latest news, it is clear the department will benefit from having a BearCat,” expressed Light. “Our vehicles are tools used by highly skilled and expertly trained individuals and we are honored to play a role in their efforts to serve and protect.”
To learn more about Lenco, visit LencoArmor.com. To learn more about the Lenco vehicles appropriate for police or government use, visit LencoArmor.com/Police-Government/.
About Lenco Armored Vehicles
Since its founding in 1981, Lenco Armored Vehicles has been the most trusted manufacturer of tactical armored security vehicles by law enforcement, fire and rescue and government entities worldwide. The privately held, family-owned and-operated company revolutionized tactical response with the advent of the BEAR and BearCat, and since, has designed and fabricated more than 6,000 armored vehicles in service by more than 700 state and federal agencies in all 50 states. Lenco prides itself on protecting defenders around the world and serving as the standard in the industry. For more information about Lenco Armored Vehicles, visit LencoArmor.com.