TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA – Three men who threatened a couple got more than they bargained for, first being shot at, then getting into a shootout with law enforcement before crashing their getaway vehicle and being arrested.
The Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office say that the wild chain of events all began Sunday afternoon in the Jeter Mountain area when a couple returned to their home to find a vehicle backed up to their storage building. The male homeowner got out of his vehicle and confronted the three suspects, and one of the suspects showed a gun. The man’s spouse then exited the vehicle and exchanged gunfire with the suspects, but no one was injured. The suspects fled in their vehicle and the couple called 911 to report the incident.
A short time later, deputies spotted the vehicle, and when they attempted to stop it a chase ensued. During the chase, gunfire was exchanged between the suspects and officers. The chase ended when the suspect vehicle crashed and the occupants fled on foot. One suspect was taken into custody on Sunday afternoon.
On Monday, the other two suspects, Eric Lee Taylor, 39, and Joshua Brian McCarson, 33, were arrested in neighboring Henderson County. Taylor and McCarson were both charged with attempted first-degree murder as a result of shooting at the Transylvania County deputy on Sunday. Taylor was also charged with felony fleeing to elude arrest, reckless driving to endanger and driving while license revoked. The investigation is continuing and additional charges are possible.
If the female homeowner had not reacted to the threat to her husband by the gun-toting would-be thieves, they both could have been killed. Anyone who will flee law enforcement officers and shoot at them would have had no issues with killing the homeowners if they had not defended themselves with a defensive firearm.
