Mayor of Town Where Police Force Resigned Killed in Vehicle Pursuit

A South Carolina mayor died in a head-on vehicle crash while being "pursued" by law enforcement just days after his town’s entire police department quit, a coroner says.

McColl Mayor George Garner II, 49, was killed Tuesday afternoon "when the vehicle he was driving collided head on with a truck" in Mechanicsville, according to Darlington County Coroner Todd Hardee. 

"When the incident occurred Mr. Garner was being pursued by a Marlboro County Deputy. The pursuit was not related to any laws being broken. The pursuit was taking place in an effort to protect the wellbeing of Mr. Garner," Hardee added, without elaborating. 

The fatal crash happened after the police force in McColl – a town of about 2,000 residents near the state’s border with North Carolina -- walked off the job last week , Fox News reports.

On Friday, Garner confirmed that the town no longer had any police officers and told WMBF News that the community is in a "difficult situation." 

The town then announced Tuesday that "the Marlboro County Sheriff's Department will be in McColl to answer any call the citizens may have."