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by ERIN PARROTT
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A South Carolina man is facing a slew of charges after authorities say he kidnapped his ex-girlfriend and her two young children at gunpoint – confining the woman inside the trunk of her own vehicle.
The terrifying incident unfolded on Monday (September 1, 2026) as deputies with the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) responded to a report of a woman whose ex-boyfriend was allegedly attempting to harm her and her two children, ages 11 and 6.
According to investigators, 36-year-old Edward Pierre Smalls Jr. forced the woman into the trunk of her vehicle at gunpoint before binding the 11-year-old child’s mouth, wrists and ankles with duct tape.
Smalls then allegedly fled the residence in the woman’s vehicle with both children inside – and their mother still trapped in the trunk, per police. Authorities said Smalls told the woman he was “taking them to a body of water.”
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While trapped inside the trunk, the woman managed to call her mother, who proceeded to track her daughter’s location and follow the vehicle while relaying updates to 911 dispatchers.
Deputies eventually located the vehicle on Ritter Road near Hendersonville Highway and attempted to initiate a traffic stop. Smalls reportedly refused to stop and continued traveling at a high rate of speed.
Due to the dangerous speeds, deputies disengaged from an active pursuit – turning off their blue lights and sirens – but continued monitoring the vehicle from a safe distance, according to CCSO.
Authorities estimated Smalls was traveling between 80 and 90 miles per hour during the chase – at times exceeding 100 miles per hour – before eventually losing control of the vehicle and crashing into a field near Little Elbow Drive.
After the crash, Smalls reportedly spotted a CCSO K9 deputy and surrendered without further incident.
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The woman and both children were safely removed from the vehicle – suffering minor injuries in the crash. Colleton County Fire and Rescue transported them to a local hospital for treatment.
As for Smalls, he was taken into custody and is currently facing three counts of kidnapping, one count of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, two counts of unlawful conduct toward a child, a failure to stop for blue lights charge, two counts of child endangerment and one count of grand larceny.
Smalls is also accused of violating his bond in connection with a previous attempted murder charge filed by the Walterboro Police Department (WPD), according to the sheriff’s office.
CCSO credited the quick actions of the woman and her mother – along with responding deputies, dispatchers, its K9 deputy, the WPD, South Carolina Highway Patrol (SCHP) and Colleton County Fire-Rescue – with helping bring the incident to a safe conclusion.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Erin Parrott is a Greenville, S.C. native who graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2025 with a bachelor degree in broadcast journalism. Got feedback or a tip for Erin? Email her here.
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