ROCK HILL, S.C. -- The mother of a man whom police openly called one of the most violent criminals they've ever known is speaking out.

"That hurts me. I wish they would quit saying that," Valerie Dunham said of the characterization of her son, 20-year-old Phillip Watts Jr.

Police said Watts confessed to seven robberies of businesses and the shootings of four people during a violent crime spree that terrorized York County over the past several months.

Dunham said Tuesday she was upset to see how her son was taken into custody on Monday.

"He was ready to turn himself in, and that's what he was going to do," she said.

Instead, police and a Special Weapons and Tactics team surrounded an apartment at Riverview Villas where Watts was visiting a friend. After Watts' arrest, forensics teams said they went inside and found the gun they believe was used in the crimes.

Dunham said her son is bipolar and was given medication when he was last in prison. She said some time after he was released last fall he stopped taking it.

"He wasn't taking his medication and he flipped," she said. "My son is not dangerous; he's not a bad child. He's very smart and kind. The police don't know him like his family knows him."

But police said they couldn't be more relieved that Watts is no longer a threat.

"He was just shooting people for no reason, with no thought at all," said York County Sheriff Bruce Bryant shortly after Watts' arrest.

Dunham said she's sorry for the people her son hurt and said she's praying for them. But she also feels like she's living through the same nightmare.

"They're going through what I'm going through," she said. "My child is sick. Don't look down on him, pray for him."

Watts is being held without bond at the York County Detention Center.

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