Gunfire disrupts lunchtime at a Hardee’s restaurant near Grovetown

Columbia County sheriff's patrols are shown outside the Hardee's restaurant on Wrightsboro Road near Grovetown after gunfire inside. (Staff photo by Stephenie Hill)

Date: June 12, 2024

Columbia County authorities have taken a gunman into custody after he allegedly fired the weapon at least twice at a friend Tuesday while inside the Hardee’s on Wrightsboro Road near Grovetown, sheriff’s Maj. Sharif Chochol said.

No one was hit by the gunfire.

MORE: Downtown business owners speak on the impact of Saturday morning shooting

Sergey Kleyman, 51, a Russian-born homeless man, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, weapon possession and reckless conduct.

Sergey Markovich Kleyman

The incident began around 11:45 a.m. Tuesday after the two men argued outside the restaurant. The pair regularly meet at the fast-food restaurant to eat together, but they had a dispute on Tuesday. The victim went inside and the suspect followed him and shot in his direction.

The victim fled and the suspect was waiting for officers when they responded, Maj. Chochol said.

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The Author

Greg Rickabaugh is an award-winning crime reporter in the Augusta-Aiken area with experience writing for The Augusta Chronicle and serving as publisher of The Jail Report. He also owns AugustaCrime.com. Rickabaugh is a 1994 graduate of the University of South Carolina and has appeared on several crime documentaries on the Investigation Discovery channel. He is married with two daughters.

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