FROM STAFF REPORTS

A man who fired a handgun in the direction of an occupied vehicle after a road rage incident on Wednesday afternoon has been taken to a local hospital to be evaluated after he surrendered to Statesville Police Department officers.

No charges have been filed, and the SPD withheld the man’s name pending additional investigation.

Officers responded to the area of Martin Luther King Jr. Park and Lakewood Drive about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in response to a report that shots had been fired in the area.

After arriving on the scene, the officers learned that a female driver had been involved in a road rage incident with another vehicle, the SPD said in a news release. The situation escalated and the other vehicle followed her, police said.

In an effort to ensure her safety, the woman drove to the National Guard Armory and called 911.

The suspect vehicle followed her into the National Guard Armory parking lot. That’s when a man exited his vehicle, produced a handgun, and fired several rounds in the direction of the ground and vehicle which was occupied by the female driver and her juvenile daughter, police said.

One of the rounds struck the vehicle, but no injuries were reported.

The suspect fled the scene after discharging his handgun. However, the woman provided a detailed description of the suspect and his vehicle, and officers quickly located the suspect’s vehicle parked nearby beside a home on Fieldstone Circle, police said.

After officers arrived at the suspect’s residence, the man refused to come to the door. The SPD Special Response Team was activated and responded to the scene. Aware that the suspect was armed, officers established a perimeter around the home and made repeated attempts to call him out, police said. 

Officers maintained their positions and made numerous attempts to get the suspect to exit the home. At approximately 5:30 p.m., the suspect exited the home and was taken into custody without incident after complying with officers’ instructions.