USC football player ran red light, crashed into another car, police say. What we know

A South Carolina football player received a citation and must make an August court appearance after he ran a red light and caused a two-car accident that totaled both vehicles at a Columbia intersection last month, records show.

Gamecocks defensive back Vicari Swain is due for an Aug. 22 appearance in Columbia municipal court on a “failure to obey traffic-control devices” violation after he ran a red light at the intersection of Huger and Gervais streets and collided with another car making a left turn on June 18, according to the documents obtained by The State via a public records request.

Although both vehicles involved were totaled and had to be towed away from the scene, neither Swain, 19, nor the driver of the other vehicle suffered any “apparent injury” from the crash, according to a South Carolina traffic collision report form. Drugs and alcohol were not a factor, according to the report, and neither driver was ejected from their car or had to be transported to the hospital.

Swain – a redshirt freshman who could push for a starting cornerback spot in 2024 – was not arrested as a result of the accident but received a traffic ticket citation three days later on June 21. The other driver involved wasn’t ticketed.

A USC spokesman told The State on Monday that coach Shane Beamer ’s program and the athletic department were both aware of the incident.

“He remains on our football team,” the spokesman said.

According to documents from the Columbia Police Department and Columbia-Richland 911 Communications Center , the accident occurred at a four-way intersection in downtown Columbia near a McDonald’s and a Publix.

Swain, according to a traffic collision report, was traveling south on Huger Street in a red 2022 Dodge Charger while another driver was attempting to make a left turn from Huger onto Gervais Street in a silver 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe.

Swain’s car “was observed on video footage received from the real time crime center (running) the red light by about a car length,” according to the report. The cars collided in the intersection around 5:50 p.m.

Swain was moving “straight ahead” at 40 mph in a 40 mph zone at the time of the crash while the other driver was driving 10 mph while turning left.

Swain is listed on the report as contributing to the collision, and the other driver is not. The “primary” contributing factor is “disregarded signs, signal, etc.”

“It is to be noted (Swain’s car) appears to accelerate at a high rate of speed just prior to entering the intersection,” an investigating officer wrote.

According to 911 records, two witnesses called in to report the 5:50 p.m. crash within minutes of it happening and law enforcement and emergency personnel were on site by roughly 5:59 p.m.

The crash reported noted that Swain and the other driver were wearing seat belts, both of their front and driver’s side airbags deployed.

A few hours after the crash, Swain revealed on social media that he’d been involved in a car accident with a post to his Instagram story.

“I thank God for another chance to live,” he wrote, adding a praying hands emoji to a photo of a damaged car. “So blessed to walk away from this.”

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) later that night, he wrote to USC fans checking on him “All good thank yall” and attached a heart emoji.

A team spokesman confirmed to The State the next day Swain was “fine” after his accident and had been working out earlier in the day.

Although the discipline and/or fines Swain would face if found guilty are unclear, they could include four points being added to his South Carolina driver’s license, according to his citation. A four-point violation is the second largest penalty behind a six-point violation under the SC DMV points system .

Swain is entering his second year with USC after joining the Gamecocks as a highly touted top 200 recruit from Georgia . He was heavily courted by Deion Sanders and Colorado late in his recruiting process but stuck to his commitment.

He redshirted in 2023 while playing in three games, had a strong performance in the 2024 spring game in April and is expected to challenge for a starting cornerback role this fall across from O’Donnell Fortune.

South Carolina starts fall camp next week and has its season and home opener against Old Dominion on Saturday, Aug. 31, at Williams-Brice Stadium.

Sports reporter Jordan Kaye contributed reporting.