Horry County homeowner attacked by group of teenagers, police report says

HORRY COUNTY, SC (WBTW) — Residents of one Horry County neighborhood are speaking out about the ongoing safety issues plaguing their community.

Homeowners in the Brighton Woods neighborhood have said for years they have been terrorized by a group of rowdy teenagers. But some told News13 the latest incident was the final straw after a group of about 6 to 10 teenagers allegedly jumped on a homeowner in his own yard, fracturing his skull.

Video taken the day of the incident shows a large group of teenagers screaming and running down a usually quiet street.

Horry County police reports obtained by News13 show the disturbance began on the afternoon of May 11, when the victim, Michael Stefans, said he saw the group of children outside and called them asked to leave.

Ring camera footage showed a verbal altercation lasted about a minute. It stops just before the alleged attack that left Stefans with a fractured skull.

A few neighbors told News13 they saw one of the children waving what looked like a gun.

That's when neighbor Andy Kingsley took matters into his own hands, chasing the teens as they ran away.

“I just hoped they wouldn't turn the gun on me.” I already did my military service, I never want to hurt anyone. I always want to help everyone,” he said. “I want to make sure everyone is taken care of. This neighborhood is my home. I don’t want my children to be deprived of their childhood because it’s just too dangerous to go outside.”

Kingsley said once he caught up with some teens, he asked them to hand over the gun if they had one.

“Then they tried to run and I followed them. He was fumbling with his gun and he gave it to his sister, and his sister ran towards the neighboring community of Victoria Stations through the woods,” he said. -he declares. “I don’t know if she left him there, but we asked the police to come and get him.”

Police reports show the teen claimed it was a $25 BB gun purchased on Amazon. However, the weapon could not be found to determine whether it was real or fake.

“We think she took it home and hid it. But I had the boys who had the gun. I finally stopped them and they talked to me,” Kingsley said. “I asked them, 'Why are you doing this?' And their first response was, “Well, the guy put his hand on me,” and I said, “In his own house, have you been to his house?” Like, what are you doing?'

Kingsley said he wants other communities to be aware of situations like this.

“I don’t want anyone to feel unsafe in their neighborhood, let alone at home. The only thing I'm doing is raising awareness that these kinds of things are happening and that maybe the right people, in the right places where we vote and where we put ourselves in leadership positions, act on it and take care of the people who choose to do so. live here,” he said.

The three minors arrested and accused of assault are due in court on June 6.

Savannah Denton joined News 13 in July 2023 as a reporter and producer. Savannah is a native of Atlanta, Georgia and a graduate of the University of Alabama. Follow Savannah on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here.

* * *

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports and streaming videos, visit WBTW.