Suspect with Samurai Sword Charged with Disorderly Conduct

Swinging a samurai sword around while walking down a busy street tends to attract attention.

On Monday, a Charleston Police Officer saw 18-year-old James Tyler Thomas as he walked down Ashley Hall Road carrying and twirling a two and a half foot sword. The officer wrote that she had arrested Thomas in October 2012 in a string of car break-ins, according to a CPD incident report, and that currently Thomas is supposed to be on house arrest.

After the officer drove past Thomas, he allegedly ran across Ashley Hall Road through heavy traffic, and then ran across the street again after the officer had turned her car around to approach him, the report stated. The officer reported that Thomas initially ignored her orders to stop, before she was able to catch up with him.

Thomas was charged with disorderly conduct because of his actions running through the heavy traffic on Ashley Hall Road. According to the incident report, his conduct caused several drivers to have to brake suddenly to avoid hitting him. The sword was seized as evidence, according to the report.