Man claimed to be law enforcement, assisted in arrest after Hanahan shooting: documents

HANAHAN, S.C. (WCBD) – A man who told authorities he was an off-duty law enforcement officer when they responded to a shooting report on Bowen Pier Drive in Hanahan last week has been arrested.

Julio Santos Hernandez met with responding officers outside the Domino’s Pizza on Bowen Pier Dr. while they were working an active crime scene.

Hernandez met with an officer, telling them he had his credentials and gun with him and that he was an off-duty police officer, according to an affidavit.

A sergeant told Hernandez to get away from the scene, but instead, he went to a different officer and advised them he was an off-duty officer. He then assisted the authorities in arresting an individual while on the scene.

After the arrest, Hernandez was asked to show his credentials, but he told officers he had left them at home and that he would go and get them, but he never did.

Later, when questioned by investigators, Hernandez said he was an off-duty deputy. He further stated that he grabbed his credentials and gun as he was leaving his home to go to the scene. All of these statements contradicted what Hernandez said when he initially responded to the shooting incident.

Officials used records from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy to confirm Hernandez had not been employed in law enforcement since October 2024.

Body camera footage worn by officers on the scene shows Hernandez identifying himself as the off-duty officer, documents state.

He was charged with impersonating a law enforcement officer.