South Carolina police officer Kayla Wallace didn’t think much of it other than “better pull them over” when she saw a Jeep run a traffic light earlier this month. But the observant cop soon realized this was no run-of-the-mill red light runner. When questioning the female driver of the white Jeep, she saw her mouth “help me” several times when her male passenger wasn’t looking.
Quickly, Officer Wallace separated the two, putting the male passenger in her patrol car. It was then that she found out that the female driver was actually being held against her will and being forced to drive the male around at gunpoint. What’s more, the male passenger was also wanted in a shooting in the area.
Officer Wallace had no idea of any of this when she pulled the Jeep over for running a red light. She did not know that there had been a shooting or that the white Jeep was being sought. She was simply doing her regular duty faithfully, and it seriously paid off! If she had decided to just “let it slide,” instead of following the letter of the law, things might have turned out very differently for the rescued female passenger. I’m just saying, routine traffic stops can save lives!
In her report for the North Myrtle Beach Police Department, Officer Wallace stated that the female driver told her she was “under so much stress that she did not see that the stoplight was red.” I gotta say, being held at gunpoint while driving is definitely enough to make me miss everyday, normal traffic signals. I can only imagine how hard it was for that young woman to operate a vehicle in those circumstances.
A Life Saved
Thanks to Officer Wallace’s faithful service and attention to detail, the female passenger was saved and 29-year-old Collins Bates was taken into custody. He has been charged for several offenses related to the shooting and his holding of the female driver, including attempted murder and kidnapping.
I am so thankful for police officers like Kayla Wallace who do their duty and pay close attention to the situations they encounter. It is very possible that she saved a woman’s life that day.
