HAYWOOD COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA — A tractor-trailer driver was arrested March 10 after deputies say he fired a BB gun into the rear window of a car on Interstate 40, shattering the glass with a projectile from a weapon that closely resembled a real handgun.

^{Photo credit: Haywood County Sheriff's Office}

According to the Haywood County Sheriff's Office, a caller reported a disturbance on I-40 and met with deputies at Exit 37, advising that the incident occurred in Haywood County and providing a description of the tractor-trailer involved. The rear window of the caller's vehicle had been shattered by a projectile consistent with a BB gun. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol located the tractor-trailer and detained the driver at a nearby weigh station until Haywood County deputies arrived.

^{Photo credit: Haywood County Sheriff's Office}

Deputies seized the weapon, which they described as a black Glock-replica CO₂-powered BB pistol. The sheriff's office released a photo showing the BB gun side by side with a real Glock 45 handgun to illustrate how similar the two weapons appeared.

The driver, Billy Franklin Swaim, 52, of Wilkes County, 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 and held on a $5,000 secured bond.

^{Photo credit: Haywood County Sheriff's Office}

"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," said Gina Zachary, public information officer with the Haywood County Sheriff's Office. "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."

All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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