Man charged with attempted murder for causing wreck on Sumter County road

A Sumter County man is facing two counts of attempted murder for allegedly doing a “pit maneuver” on a vehicle with his own on Thursday, according to county officials.

Leroy Cockerill Jr., 27, is accused of attempting to stop a vehicle with two occupants by blocking the road with his vehicle at the bridge on Bethel Church Road, states a release from Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.

The male victims managed to go around Cockerill’s truck and drive away before the suspect did a pit maneuver causing the victim’s vehicle to spin out of control, cross a ditch and strike a fence at Pilgrim’s Pride Poultry.

Cockerill also lost control of his vehicle which flipped over in a yard across from the poultry plant, according to the release.

The victims said Cockerill was somehow able to drive the severely damaged truck and get back to the road.

Once on the roadway, Cockerill allegedly got out of the truck and hit one of the victims on the left arm with a baseball bat and then threatened both of the men.

A witness told investigators he saw part of the incident and saw Cockerill waving the bat at the victims before waving the bat at him.

He said Cockerill got back into his truck and backed into the yard where he wrecked when he saw the witness take a picture of the scene.

Cockerill, of Bethel Church Road, was arrested at the scene and transported to Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center.

Bond was denied for both charges.