A security guard at a SC campground tackles a teen. Can a guard do that under state law?

An incident at Ocean Lakes Family Campground in the Myrtle Beach area has raised the question of what a security guard can or cannot do.

There has been debate among residents and visitors on social media about the role of the security guards who are hired at the campground, located at 6001 South Kings Highway. That debate only intensified in the last two days after an incident on Aug. 11, 2024, in which a security guard allegedly tackled a teenager who was accused of stealing a golf cart.

Many of those posts claim that the security guard didn’t legally have the right to place their hands on the teenager. But South Carolina law says differently.

Campground security guards received calls Sunday night from residents about three males who had jumped the fence and were trying to steal from guests, according to Barb Krumm, director of marketing and public relations. Krumm said the men were not guests at the campground and were instead staying at an adjacent property.

Security guards pursued the men, who then attempted to fight the guards, Krumm said. Horry County Police were called, Krumm said.

Krumm said that the safety of guests is the top priority for the campground and that their officers were attempting to remove the men from the property.

According to state law, if you commit a crime where a licensed person is hired to provide security then yes, he or she can not only arrest you, but is also allowed to detain you and use reasonable force.

A licensed person, which is licensed and trained through South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, is granted the authority and arrest power given to sheriff’s deputies, the law says.

Krumm said that the security guards are all “highly trained” by SLED. The security guards monitor both the beachfront and the campground, which sits on 310 oceanfront acres and sees between 25,000 to 35,000 people a day during the season, according to its website.

The arrest authority given to a licensed security guard is only for the property where they are employed.

Security guards have the right to physically subdue a person who is violating the rules of a property or establishment, according to Joye Law Firm in North Charleston. A security guard may use a restraining hold on a person or forcibly remove them from the premises, but the amount of force used must not be excessive, according to the law firm.

Excessive force, according to the law firm, would be:

• Subdue a patron by repeatedly hitting them with fists, kicking, choking, or bludgeoning them.

• Body slam an individual or drag a patron on the ground.

• Use a weapon such as a baton or Taser.

• Purposely injure a patron, such as by smashing their head against a wall or the ground, kneeling on their neck, or employing punishing holds, like twisting an arm to the point of dislocating a shoulder or breaking a bone.

• Verbally abuse a patron with racial or ethnic slurs or epithets.

• Unlawfully detain a patron trying to leave the premises.