An inmate in the custody of the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) escaped from Palmetto Health Richland Hospital in downtown Columbia, S.C. early Monday morning.
The inmate – Travis N. Biggerstaff – was “apprehended shortly after the escape attempt,” according to SCDC officials.
“This incident remains under investigation,” the agency’s press office added in a tweet.
Biggerstaff’s escape attempt occurred shortly after 10:00 a.m. EST on Monday. According to our sources, it a female SCDC officer discharged her weapon during the incident.
Within fifty minutes of escaping, the 39-year-old suspect was apprehended by officers of the city of Columbia, S.C. police department (below) with what was reportedly described as “an injury to his hand.”
(Click to view)
(Via: Columbia, S.C. Police Department)
According to city police, Biggerstaff was apprehended by officers who “saw him running near a parking lot on Colonial Drive.”
“He was still in handcuffs,” police tweeted.
Officers recognized Biggerstaff was wounded and “immediately rendered medical aid,” adding that “the inmate’s injury does not appear to be life-threatening.”
Biggerstaff’s attempted escape marks the 48th officer involved shooting in the Palmetto State this year – tying a state record set two years ago. As a matter of protocol, all officer-involved shootings in South Carolina are investigated by the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED).
SLED spokesman Thom Berry confirmed to us that the incident involving Biggerstaff was “initially reported to us as an officer-involved shooting.”
“We have agents on the scene,” Berry added.
SLED forwards the findings of its officer-involved shooting investigations to the solicitor with jurisdiction over the county where the shooting took place. In this case, that would be S.C. fifth circuit solicitor Dan Johnson.
Biggerstaff is listed as an inmate at Lieber Correctional Institution in Ridgeville, S.C. He is serving time for kidnapping, armed robbery and several other charges. According to his SCDC rap sheet, he’s been penalized for contraband three times in the last three years and has also been cited for drug use behind bars.
Biggerstaff’s record also shows dozens of medical-related transfers since he was first incarcerated six years ago.
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