An off-duty South Carolina sheriff’s deputy who was fired for being drunk and disorderly whereas pointing a gun at a gaggle of teenage boys in his neighborhood, threatening to kill them after imagining one in all them with a gun is now being sued.
However former Beaufort County Sheriff’s Grasp Sergeant William “Billy” Squires has but to be arrested for his drunken tirade that was captured on video final month — which might have resulted in critical felony costs for anyone else with no badge.
Nevertheless, the South Carolina Regulation Enforcement Division mentioned it’s investigating Squires to find out if he dedicated a criminal offense, a course of that may take months if historical past is any indicator, giving him sufficient time to seek out one other regulation enforcement job.
However now {that a} lawsuit has been filed by one of many dad and mom, Squires might face authorized penalties for his drunken deed which may have simply turned lethal for the three youngsters who have been petrified of his actions.
“Hey, sir, are you able to name the cops, please,” one of many youngsters requested a person who was witnessing the altercation.
“Hey, name the police,” a second teen pleads.
“I’m the police!” responded Squires earlier than enlisting the neighbors to assist him detain the boys.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court docket on Oct. 10 by a Black girl named Laquesha Habersham who’s described because the mom of one of many teenagers known as “T.P.” within the lawsuit.
The lawsuit makes no point out of race however the video recorded after the incident exhibits one of many teenagers was Black, so he was almost definitely the one recording the cop assaulting his white mates, attempting his hardest to deescalate the state of affairs.
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It seems from feedback made within the video the teenager was recording with Ray Ban Meta Glasses, so maybe the drunken deputy was unaware he was being recorded.
Based on the lawsuit:
Plaintiff is a young person of comparatively small stature. Plaintiff was not performing in an aggressive method, didn’t possess a weapon, was not underneath the affect of medication or alcohol, and had no prior legal document or fame for bodily aggression.
On the time Defendants encountered Plaintiff, no crime had been reported, and Plaintiff was not actively making an attempt to evade arrest by flight. Plaintiff didn’t pose a right away risk to the protection of Defendants.
The lawsuit additionally lists a number of John Does as defendants who’re the grownup neighbors who assisted Squires in detaining the kids who had dedicated no crime.
Grasp Sergeant Squires enlisted the help of John Does 1-5, who, with out provocation, acted in live performance with Squires and used grossly extreme bodily power to restrain the boys on the roadway.
Upon data and perception, a number of neighborhood residents witnessed the incident and referred to as 911. When responding officers arrived, Grasp Sergeant Squires supplied a false account of the occasions.
Watch the video under.
‘I Will Shoot You’
The incident occurred on Sept. 28 in Hilton Head Island, a barrier island neighborhood on the southern coast of South Carolina because the group of three teenage mates have been strolling by means of a residential neighborhood.
The video begins with Squires wearing Bermuda shorts and loafers whereas carrying a sheriff vest and badge round his neck and approaching the kids along with his department-issued gun drawn, ordering them to get on the bottom.
He grabs the arm of the teenager recording and tries to pull him to the bottom earlier than turning his consideration to the opposite teenagers. He then re-holsters his gun earlier than selecting up a black backpack one in all teenagers was carrying.
Squires then makes an attempt to open the backpack as one of many teenagers who had requested the neighbors to name police tries to grab the backpack away from him, prompting the deputy to seize him by the arm and kick him within the legs to knock him on the bottom.
That’s when a second teen runs up and shoves Squires away from his good friend which was when Squires pulled out his gun once more to level it on the teenagers.
“I’ll shoot you,” he threatens the 2 white teenagers.
“No! No! No! Cease! Cease! Don’t shoot!” the Black teen recording yells.
However Squires then factors the gun on the teen recording – regardless that he had achieved nothing to threaten the deputy.
“Why are you pointing the gun at me,” the kids asks earlier than yelling out for his mom to assist him.
“Assist! Assist! Assist! Mother! Mother! Mother! Mother!”
The deputy then runs after one of many white teenagers, grabbing him by his arm, telling him to get on the bottom.
“What the f_ck is your downside?” the teenager asks as he’s being dragged down.
“Name the sheriff’s workplace,” Squires tells a neighbor witnessing the abuse.
“Get the f_ck on the bottom,” a male neighbor yells as he approaches the kids to assist the deputy detain them. He’s now one in all 5 John Doe defendants named within the lawsuit.
A 3rd video recorded by a witness exhibits the teenager who shoved the cop mendacity facedown on the road along with his palms cuffed behind his again.
“You hit a cop, you’re underneath arrest,” Squires is telling him.
“You hit my good friend,” the teenager responds. “You have been strangling my good friend.”
The deputy claimed the kids had a gun after which ran from him, however they repeatedly instructed him they didn’t have a gun.
“You pointed a gun at our face,” one of many teen says.
The boy was later launched with no costs after the sheriff seen the movies going viral.
‘It was Appalling to See’
When fellow deputies from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Workplace arrived, witnesses instructed them they suspected Squires of being drunk.
Nevertheless, when Sheriff P.J. Tanner requested him to take a breathalyzer take a look at, he refused, which led to the sheriff inserting him on unpaid suspension, though Squires later admitted to having been consuming that day.
Squires was terminated on Oct. 3, lower than per week after the incident, ending a 19-year profession with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Workplace.
Based on an inner doc from the sheriff’s workplace itemizing the explanations he was terminated:
On September 28, 2025, William Squires, whereas allegedly intoxicated, drove his Sheriff’s Workplace-issued car to the scene of a small disturbance in his neighborhood, contacting a number of males in an off-duty capability. William Squires then returned to his car, armed himself along with his responsibility weapon, donned his Kevlar vest, and returned to the juveniles.
Cellphone video captured by the juveniles exhibits Squires pointing his firearm at them, ordering them to the bottom, seizing a backpack, cursing, and aggressively advancing. When one juvenile pushed him, Squires drew his firearm once more, pointed it straight on the juvenile, and threatened to shoot.
The video additionally exhibits him dragging one juvenile by the shirt, throwing him to the bottom, and handcuffing him whereas shouting profanities. At one level, when one of many juveniles requested somebody to name the police, Squires instructed them he was “the police.”
At no time did Squires see a firearm, nor was an alleged handgun recovered in the course of the subsequent legal and administrative investigation.
“ that video, it was appalling to see,” Sheriff Tanner instructed native media. “And I can even see how the common citizen sees that video and simply goes into shock as to what they see.”
The sheriff additionally instructed native media that Squires violated a number of departmental insurance policies, together with refusing to take the breathalyzer and consuming alcoholic drinks whereas armed in an off-duty capability after which presenting this firearm for an illegal objective. He additionally violated the coverage that requires him to activate his physique digicam which he was carrying however had not turned on.
“My 45 years in regulation enforcement and virtually 27 years as sheriff, nothing actually surprises me,” Sheriff Tanner mentioned. “I imply, I hate to say it that approach, and I’m not downplaying this in any matter, however what I noticed was horrible.”
