Carjacking Suspect Caught after Exchanging Gunfire

PELZER, S.C. (March 6, 2010 at 6:05 PM) – A carjacking suspect is in custody after leading Anderson sheriff’s deputies on a chase which ended in gunfire.

The chase began after Brandon Earl Gosnell, 20, of 836 Bryant Road, Pelzer, stole a pickup truck from Spartanburg County and drove to Anderson County.  

That truck was the second vehicle stolen by Gosnell in a twelve hour period.  The first, a 1997 Buick, was taken during a carjacking and robbery that occurred in Anderson a little after midnight this morning.  The Buick was later located in Spartanburg in close proximity to where the truck was stolen.

Alert Anderson sheriff’s deputies spotted Gosnell in the stolen truck on Bryant Road earlier this afternoon and attempted to stop it.  Gosnell refused to stop and led the deputies on a chase that ended at the intersection of Highway 8 and Walker’s Hill Road when he collided with a utility pole.

Gosnell exited his vehicle with a shotgun and pointed it at the deputies.  The deputies then fired at Gosnell.  He was struck once in the arm and was transported to Greenville Memorial Hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

Arrest warrants have been issued for Gosnell charging him with Carjacking and Strong Arm Robbery.  He is in custody on those charges.  Assault charges relating to the chase are pending.

Anderson Sheriff’s Office officials asked The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to conduct a review of the shooting.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol assisted the sheriff’s office in the pursuit.

Update on Sunday, March 7, 2010 at 7:56PM by Editor

Additional Charges Made on Carjacking Suspect

ANDERSON, S.C. (March 7, 2010 at 6:05 PM) – Sheriff’s investigators obtained seven additional arrest warrants on Brandon Earl Gosnell in connection with a vehicle pursuit yesterday that ended with Gosnell being shot by an officer.

Gosnell, 20, of 836 Bryant Road, Pelzer, was taken in to custody on March 6 after leading Anderson sheriff’s deputies and state troopers on a chase that ended in Greenville County.  The pursuit began when Anderson deputies saw him driving a stolen truck from Spartanburg.  It terminated when Gosnell collided with a utility pole at the intersection of Highway 8 and Walker’s Hill Road.

After impact, Gosnell exited his vehicle with a shotgun and pointed it at the deputies.  Officers then fired at Gosnell, striking him once in the arm.  He was transported to Greenville Memorial Hospital where he was treated and released.

Gosnell was arrested for Driving Under Suspension and Failing to Stop Motor Vehicle When Signaled by a Law Enforcement Vehicle, Carjacking and Strong Arm Robbery.  The latter charges stemmed from an incident that occurred in Anderson earlier that day.

An investigation in to Gosnell’s actions while being pursued, revealed that he fired a shotgun from the open passenger’s window of his vehicle in the direction of the West Pelzer Fire Department, 101 Main Street (Highway 8), and five firefighters who were standing out front as he passed.

Today, sheriff’s investigators secured arrest warrants charging Gosnell with seven counts of Assault With Intent to Kill.  Two warrants are for pointing a shotgun at deputies after the chase and the other five for firing it at the firefighters.

Gosnell is currently at the Anderson County Detention Center awaiting a Bond Hearing.

The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office has pending charges on Gosnell for crimes committed in that county prior to the chase.