MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – A shooting was caught on video in the city Wednesday and police say their own cameras helped catch a person connected to the crime.
The Myrtle Beach Police Department says a license plate reader helped them find 25-year-old Brittany Mullinax of North Myrtle Beach. Police say Mullinax was at the shooting, but wasn’t “an active participant.”
Mullinax’s car was picked up by a license plate reader because police say she’s wanted in a case that may be linked to Wednesday’s shooting. A witness tweeted a video of the shooting on 15th Avenue South near Kings Highway.
City police say they believe the shooter was 40-year-old Ryan Ralston, seen in a surveillance photo carrying a pink Victoria’s Secret bag.
Several hours later Wednesday, a car driven by Mullinax was picked by one of Myrtle Beach’s license plate readers.
“Because the person was wanted on an active warrant, the people here in the real-time crime center received a notification,” said Myrtle Beach police spokesperson Capt. Joey Crosby.
Mullinax was wanted for an armed robbery in April. When Myrtle Beach police pulled her over, they say she had the same pink bag Ralston was carrying after the shooting. Police say the April armed robbery may have motivated Wednesday’s shooting, targeting the same victim.
Capt. Crosby says employees monitor cameras and plate readers 24/7 at the department’s headquarters.
In this most recent case, the employees watched Mullinax’s car and guided police officers.
“There’s various investigative techniques that these people use within the real-time crime center,” Capt. Crosby said. “There’s various softwares they use and various programs to give the officer the real-time information.”
Crosby says this isn’t the first case the real-time crime center has helped with since it launched in November.
“We had a homicide that happened earlier in the year,” he said. “The cameras were very useful in assisting to identify the suspect where he was also apprehended within less than 48 hours as well.”
Police are still searching for Ralston, while Mullinax is in custody.
No one was hurt in Wednesday’s shooting.
