William Robert Smith Jr. Arrested After Chase and Assault of Deputy

A machete, a baseball bat, knives, and ammunition were left in plain view inside a Silverado truck after a September 16 traffic stop in Delco escalated into a violent struggle that left a law enforcement officer wounded. According to court documents reported by WECT, the incident began at 7:45 a.m. when Deputy Joseph Byrd attempted to stop the vehicle, triggering a chase that ended in a collision with a log truck on Shackletown Road.

For the residents of Columbus and Brunswick counties, the stakes weren’t just legal—they were immediate and physical, as tactical teams, tracking dogs, and helicopters swarmed the area near Delco Prosper and Livingston Chapel roads to locate a fleeing suspect armed with a variety of weapons.

Suspect captured after shooting Columbus County Deputy and initiating multiple-agency manhunt

A Struggle in the Ditch

The chaos didn’t end with the crash. The affidavit reveals that the driver, William Robert Smith Jr., fled the wreckage and engaged in a physical fight with Deputy Byrd in a water-filled ditch. The struggle turned life-threatening when Smith Jr. allegedly attempted to drown the deputy. During the melee, Byrd drew his service weapon, and the firearm discharged, striking the deputy in the forearm.

Byrd was transported to Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center. While the injuries were classified as non-life-threatening, the incident shifted the operation from a traffic violation to a high-stakes criminal investigation. Smith Jr. managed to escape the scene on foot, leaving the Silverado with its door open and the aforementioned weapons exposed for investigators to find.

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Authorities Capture Smith Jr. After Wide Search

The search for Smith Jr. lasted hours, involving a massive mobilization of the Columbus County and Brunswick County sheriff’s offices, the FBI, and other state and local partners. The manhunt concluded at 6:56 p.m. that evening when authorities apprehended Smith Jr. near Green Tree Road, close to the Columbus-Brunswick County line.

Court records paint a picture of a man with a history of instability. Prosecutors noted that Smith Jr.’s criminal record stretches back to 1995, including prior convictions for larceny, breaking and entering, and possessing stolen goods. At the time of the September 16 encounter, he was actively on probation for a January 7 conviction related to the possession of methamphetamine.

The legal ramifications for Smith Jr. are severe. He now faces charges including:

Attempted first-degree murder
Assault on a law enforcement officer with a firearm
Possession of a firearm by a felon

The Search for Evidence

Following the arrest, investigators moved to secure a search warrant for the Silverado, which had been towed to the sheriff’s office garage in Whiteville. A judge issued the warrant at 6:05 p.m. on the day of the arrest, and it was executed the following morning, September 17.

Hours-long Columbus County manhunt ends in arrest

The warrant allowed authorities to scour the vehicle for DNA, trace evidence, electronics, clothing, and documents that could further tie Smith Jr. to the assault or reveal further criminal activity. While court paperwork confirms that investigators seized various items from the truck, the specific inventory of those items was not included in the provided documents. This leaves a critical gap in the public record regarding exactly what evidence was recovered from the vehicle’s interior.

The case now moves toward trial, but a central question remains: what exactly was found in that truck? Until the full inventory of seized items is released, the complete scope of Smith Jr.’s preparations or intentions that morning remains unknown.