Man charged with shooting in connection with reported road rage incident

Thomas Richard Smith Jr., 74, of Hiddenite, was arrested by Alexander County Sheriff’s officers on Wednesday (August 28) on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, assault by pointing a weapon and armed conduct with public intimidation.

Just after 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office received a call that shots had been fired in the parking lot of the Taylorsville Savings Bank in Hiddenite. The caller said two men got into a verbal argument in the bank’s parking lot. One man pointed a handgun at the other man and fired shots in his direction.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found one of the men in the bank’s parking lot. The incident reportedly occurred after a road rage incident in Hiddenite. After an investigation, police determined that Thomas Richard Smith Jr. had pulled out a handgun and fired one shot in the bank’s parking lot.

No injuries or property damage were reported. The Alexander County Sheriff’s Office thanked the Taylorsville Police Department, North Carolina State Highway Patrol and the North Carolina Department of Probation and Parole for their assistance. Smith was released on $7,500 bail. His first court date in District Court is Oct. 28.