Suspect in Road Rage Incident Last May Requests Lower Bond

A Virginia man will have to wait a little longer for a South Carolina judge to decide whether to lower his bond.

41-year-old Derek Lydell Coleman has been jailed in Oconee County, SC Detention Center since May last year after he and a second Virginia resident, 45-year-old Enrico Natfonza Mayes were arrested following an alleged I-85 road rage incident that ended with their arrests in Hart County.

This week, Oconee County Judge McIntosh made no immediate ruling on Coleman’s attorney’s plea to lower his $250 thousand bond, saying he needed to quote, “think about it.”

In South Carolina Mayes and Coleman are each charged with two counts of Attempted Murder, One count of Possession of a Weapon during the Commission of a Violent Crime, and One count of Malicious Injury to Personal Property.

According to Georgia State Patrol Hartwell Post Sgt. Ray Dean on May 9, 2023 Troopers from Hartwell Post 52 were contacted regarding a BOLO for a gray Nissan sedan bearing a Virginia license plate.

The driver and passenger were reported to have been involved in a road rage shooting incident on I-85 SB in Oconee County, SC.

According to the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, the incident involved two black males in the Nissan and a couple in a Toyota 4Runner with Florida tags.

The incident began on 85 SB when the driver of the Nissan reportedly tried to run the 4Runner off the road.

A chase ensued onto Highway 11 Northbound and then back onto the Interstate southbound.

As both vehicles were getting back on I-85 southbound, the 4Runner was hit by bullets that were being fired by the occupants in the Nissan.

The 4Runner eventually made its way to the southbound Welcome Center along I-85 in Georgia while the Nissan got off at Exit 177 according to the Sheriff.

Dean said troopers spotted the Nissan parked off the right shoulder of GA77 in Hart County with two black males standing outside of the vehicle.

Dean said troopers pulled up alongside the Nissan and verified they matched the suspects identified in the drive-by shooting.

Hart County Sheriff Mike Cleveland said his officers also arrived at the scene to back up the troopers. During the investigation, he said his investigator found a cache of weapons and drugs.

The Sheriff said both occupants were subsequently arrested and faced multiple charges in Georgia.

A week after the arrest in Hart County, Coleman was transferred to the Oconee County, SC Detention Center.

His alleged accomplice, Mayes was transferred to the Oconee County, SC Detention Center the following August.