Driver charged with “terror of the people” after shooting car with bb gun, troopers say

A truck driver is charged with “going armed to the terror of the people” after shooting out the back windshield of a four wheeler in North Carolina on Tuesday. 

The incident happened on March 10th in Haywood County, North Carolina on Interstate 40.

According to KTXS12ABC, police responded to reports of a disturbance on I-40, and met with the caller at Exit 37 off of I-40. The caller then told police about an incident involving a truck driver shooting out his windshield with a BB gun.

The North Carolina State Highway Patrol soon located the truck driver at a weigh station in the same county and detained the driver at the weigh station until Haywood County deputies arrived to take over custody. Deputies also seized the black Glock-replica BB gun. 

“I would like to commend our deputies for their quick response and thorough investigative work today, which led to the prompt identification and apprehension of the suspect,” Gina Zachary, the public information office with the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office, told News 13. “We also thank the North Carolina State Highway Patrol for their assistance in locating and detaining the vehicle, helping ensure the safety of motorists traveling through our county.”

The truck driver, 52-year-old Billy Franklin Swaim, was charged with misdemeanor going armed to the terror of the people and misdemeanor injury to personal property. He was transported to the Haywood County Detention Center, where he was being held under a $5,000 secured bond.