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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
How does Myrtle Beach's weekend traffic control work? What we saw downtown
As tourists converge on downtown Myrtle Beach for the summer, the city has implemented its 'flushing' traffic control to keep Ocean Boulevard moving. 'I understand why they have it,' said Uber driver Darin Shaw. 'It's kind of just to help so it's not all clustered, because there'll be over 50 cars, just going in a row. They're all going one mile per hour, and everybody's trying to show off their car.' According to the Myrtle Beach Police Department, the Summer Emergency Vehicle Access Plan re-routes traffic to improve response times, increase visibility and allow officers to address concerns. 'It's nice if they can travel back and forth, the cops have a much faster response time for, like theft, everything,' said Stephen Mace, who works in an Ocean Boulevard storefront. 'They get here so much quicker.' It works like this: from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, the northbound lane on Ocean Boulevard is closed from 9th Avenue North to 16th Avenue North. Additionally, between 8th and 9th Avenue North, all traffic is blocked and re-routed to Kings Highway. Although a road sign alerted motorists of the ban on northbound traffic at 16th Avenue North, and cones with 'no left turn' signs were set up on streets intersecting Ocean Boulevard, some drivers seemed confused. On Friday evening, The Sun News saw more than 20 cars drive northbound on Ocean Boulevard in the flushing zone. Drivers made confused U-turns or pulled right out of oceanside hotels and businesses. 'It's not common,' said Mace. 'Every once in a while, it's typically somebody that's drunk, but also older people that don't see the signs, then it happens, but every once in a while you get a DUI out of it.' No officers were out to direct the flow of traffic, and one unmarked police vehicle–a black Dodge Charger–traveled southbound in the northbound lane around 5:40 p.m. Other than that, there didn't appear to be much of a police presence to enforce the traffic pattern early in the evening. MBPD did not respond to requests for comment on Friday evening. However, around 6 p.m., marked police vehicles began patrolling the area. 'The cops normally hit the beat on the strip around 5,' Mace said. 'You have all the kids revving and people doing whatever the hell they want, and [around] 5, the cops are out here, and everybody kind of settles down a little bit.' Car alarms blared, trash cans toppled and pedestrian traffic slammed to a stop when a brief but powerful summer storm hit around 6:30 p.m. But police presence remained as rain poured down, as patrols continued and a recruitment truck set up between lanes around 14th Avenue North. Over the course of the evening, The Sun News witnessed one traffic stop for a car traveling north in the flushing zone, around 7:20 p.m. By 10 p.m., two officers were set up between lanes on the 900 block of North Ocean's Boulevard near the location of the April 26 shooting where 11 people were injured. In addition to the MBPD cars, The Sun News saw at least one Horry County Sheriff's Office van and one State Trooper vehicle on Ocean Boulevard. But the limited traffic pattern can complicate work for rideshare drivers in the area. 'When this is going on right here, it's hard it's hard to even pick people up off the boulevard, when there's tons of trips on the boulevard,' said Shaw. The city does have designated rideshare pick-up spots adjacent to Ocean Boulevard on Withers Alley, but it's difficult to direct 'clueless' customers unfamiliar with the area and convince them to meet there. To get to customers on the oceanside of the boulevard in the flushing zone, Shaw said he has to 'weasel' his way to their location and turn on his hazards. 'If I were to go to the designated spots that the city has, it's gonna piss off the customer, because they have to walk all the way to the car,' Shaw said. 'It could be frustrating and prevent us from getting tips, and that's pretty much our main source of income, because Uber takes about 50 to 60% of the ride fare.'
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
4 masked people fire at Myrtle Beach officers in high-speed chase through city
Four people were detained Thursday morning after firing a gun at Myrtle Beach Police officers and leading police on a high-speed chase in a stolen vehicle. Roads closed on Farrow Parkway in Myrtle Beach and the area of 67th Avenue North off of Highway 17 North. An officer on the scene of the accident on 67th Avenue North said that one person was injured in the crash and was taken to the hospital. The people in the vehicle fired at officers on Farrow Parkway in Myrtle Beach, the officer said. The vehicle appears to have been stolen from North Carolina. Myrtle Beach Police officers attempted to approach a vehicle about 8:15 a.m. with four occupants, all who were wearing masks, MBPD Chief Amy Prock said in a Facebook post. When officers attempted to stop the car, the car fled and officers were shot at while in pursuit, Prock added. Prock said in the video that the chase began on South Ocean Boulevard near the Twilight Surf motel. Myrtle Beach Police Department requested assistance from HCPD about 8:30 a.m. May 22 to pursue a suspect driving a stolen vehicle, according to an Horry County Police Facebook post. Prior to HCPD becoming involved in the pursuit, the suspect was seen driving the wrong way in traffic and driving at excessive speeds, the post said. Police vehicles had Farrow Parkway at the Coventry intersection in Market Common blocked off Thursday morning. The county's involvement in the pursuit ultimately ended when the suspect vehicle wrecked near 67th Avenue North and North US Highway 17. No one was injured in the incident and there is no threat to the community, the HCPD Facebook post added. The names of those detained were not released. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Yahoo
1 Dead, 11 Injured During Police Officer-Involved Shooting at Popular South Carolina Tourist Spot
One person is dead and nearly a dozen people were injured during a shooting that involved police in a popular tourist destination in South Carolina. According to a police statement shared on Facebook, officers who were near the 900 block of North Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach at around 11:50 p.m. local time on Saturday, April 26, saw an altercation break out between multiple people. One person fired a weapon during the fight, police said, and one of the officers at the scene "responded by discharging their firearm." Police said the person shot by an officer died from their injuries. Eleven other people have reported being injured and are currently receiving medical treatment. The officer who discharged their gun was not injured. One man who witnessed the shooting described the incident as "traumatizing" to local outlet WPDE, and recalled seeing people near him drop to the ground after being shot. "I remember hearing gunfire shots just start going off everywhere. I remember seeing a girl fall that had been injured. I remember seeing the guy who had been shot fall to the ground," Michael Howard told the outlet. "I seen blood everywhere. It was just very traumatizing." Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. The Post and Courier reported that the shooting took place near where police are stationed during the city's Summer Emergency Vehicle Access Plan. A section of Myrtle Beach's 9th and 8th avenues, as well as North 16th Avenue to 9th Avenue, are blocked off every Friday and Saturday night, and officers patrol the area during the busy summer season. The Myrtle Beach Police Department (MBPD) and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) have asked the public to share any information or videos taken of the shooting on April 26. "We continue to remind those who may have information or video footage related to this incident to come forward. Information can be shared with SLED or the Myrtle Beach Police Department at 843-918-1382," the department wrote on Facebook. "Our hearts and continued prayers are with all those affected, as well as their loved ones during this difficult time," the MBPD added. The Myrtle Beach Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for further information on Sunday, April 27. Read the original article on People
CBS News
24-02-2025
- CBS News
Manhattan Beach police seeking duo who robbed woman of jewelry after asking for directions
Manhattan Beach police are searching for a pair of suspects who robbed a woman of her jewelry after they asked her for directions outside of her home last week. It happened on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at around 12:10 p.m. outside of the residence in the 3400 block of Palm Avenue, according to the Manhattan Beach Police Department. "The female victim was walking up to her driveway when the suspect, driving a blue sedan or SUV, called out to her," the statement said. "The male suspect asked for directions to Whole Foods and handed the victim his cell phone, asking her to speak into the phone for translation because his English was not very good." After the woman did this and handed the phone back to the man, he grabbed her wrist and attempted to put a gold wring and two gold chains on her, police said. As she pulled away from the man, a female in the back seat reached out of the window and grabbed her, pulling the chain from her neck. "The victim attempted to grab her chain back, but the male suspect drove the car away, knocking the victim to the ground," MBPD said. The woman suffered abrasions to her knees but no further injuries, police said. Arriving officers found the jewelry that the man tried to put on the victim in the street and collected it to try and glean DNA. The male suspect is believed to be between 30 and 40 years old, while the woman is approximately 40 and has black hair, police said. Investigators say that they have canvassed the neighborhood for video surveillance and advise the public to be wary of similar circumstances. The crime is similar to two recent incidents that occurred in Southern California over the last week, one of which resulted in the arrest of "jewelry switch" scammers in Orange County. Those same suspects, a man and woman from Romania, are believed to be the same who stole two prized Los Angeles Dodgers World Series rings from their former pitching coach.
