Road rage: Man shot at driver who had young children in truck, deputies say

LANCASTER COUNTY, S.C — Deputies have arrested a man they said shot at another driver who had young children in his truck during an apparent road rage incident in Indian Land.

Investigators said 23-year-old Haskel Lavar Patton III, of Charlotte, was arrested last Friday in connection with the shooting that happened in the middle of the afternoon on Aug. 15.

According to detectives, the victim, a 25-year-old man also from Charlotte, drove to Indian Land in his Chevrolet pickup truck to buy gasoline at about 3:30 p.m. His daughters -- a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old -- were strapped into car seats in the back seat of the truck.

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Deputies said Patton, who did not know the other man, was driving a Jaguar XE with a paper tag. Patton was driving behind the pickup truck and the victim told deputies that the Jaguar was weaving in and out of traffic behind him.

The man decided to pull into a gas station near the intersection of Charlotte Highway and Highway 160 and noticed that the Jaguar pulled into an adjacent business.

As the driver of the truck circled around the gas station and onto Lengers Way, headed toward Highway 160, the Jaguar got behind him again.

Both vehicles turned right from Highway 160 headed south on Charlotte Highway and were side-by-side, according to investigators.

The driver of the pickup said that the front passenger window of the Jaguar rolled down and he saw Patton behind the wheel and a woman in the front seat.

According to the victim, Patton pointed a handgun at the truck and fired a single round which struck the driver’s door and shattered the rolled-up window.

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The victim is a concealed weapon permit holder and was armed. He stuck his handgun out the shattered window and fired several rounds at the Jaguar, deputies said.

Neither the driver of the truck nor his daughters were struck by the bullet, but the victim suffered cuts to his right forearm from the broken glass.

The man pulled over and called 911 while the Jaguar continued south.

Lancaster County deputies responded to the scene, as did paramedics who treated the victim at the scene. He later drove himself to a hospital. His daughters were not injured.

Last Monday, a deputy spotted a matching Jaguar at the Chick-Fil-A in Indian Land and, although he was unable to stop the car, the deputy recorded the number of the paper tag.

Investigators determined the Jaguar was recently bought by Patton’s mother and they called the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department to help track down where the vehicle could be.

Investigators from both agencies went to the registered address for the Jaguar and found it in the driveway. Officials said they spoke with Patton, his girlfriend, who was his passenger at the time of the shooting, and his parents, who all live at the home.

Crime scene agents processed the Jaguar and found three apparent bullet holes in the car -- two in the passenger side rear bumper and one in the passenger side rear door. A loaded Smith & Wesson .40 caliber pistol with an extended magazine was also found between the driver’s seat and the door, authorities said. Detectives think that was the weapon Patton used during the incident.

The gun had been reported stolen to the Rock Hill Police Department in December 2018.

Patton turned himself in at the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office last Friday. He has been charged with three counts of attempted murder, discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle, possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime, and possession of a stolen pistol.

“It is amazing that no one was seriously injured in this incident,” said Sheriff Barry Faile.”This occurred mid-afternoon on a Saturday in what is probably the busiest spot in this county. I encourage people to drive carefully and be respectful toward each other on our roadways. Road rage incidents have led to extreme violence and death far too many times. There is no place in our society for behavior like this.”

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