Two North Carolina teenagers say they were sprayed with gasoline after an argument at a gas station, leading to assault charges against a Statesville woman.
The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office says the confrontation happened at a convenience store on Island Ford Road, where a woman allegedly used a gas pump to spray both the teens and their pickup before driving away.
Investigators identified a suspect using surveillance video, witness interviews, and information provided by the victims. However, authorities have not released what sparked the confrontation or why it escalated.
While no fire was reported, the unusual encounter has sparked widespread discussion online, with many readers focusing on the dangers of spraying gasoline around active fuel pumps and questioning how the confrontation unfolded.
Deputies Say Investigation Led to Assault Charges
Deputies responded to the convenience store on Island Ford Road after a victim reported that a verbal altercation escalated when a woman sprayed both the victim and the victim’s pickup truck with gasoline before leaving the scene.
The investigation was assigned to Detective D. Geiken, who interviewed witnesses and reviewed surveillance video that investigators say captured the incident. Authorities identified the suspect as Christina Dawn Hatcher, 37, of Statesville.
Detective Geiken obtained warrants charging Hatcher with misdemeanor assault with a deadly weapon and misdemeanor injury to personal property.
By the time the warrants were secured, Hatcher was already being held at the Alexander County Detention Center on unrelated charges. She was served with the Iredell County warrants while in custody, and Magistrate M.D. Simms set her secured bond at $10,000.
Investigators have not released any details explaining what led to the argument, and authorities have not said whether the people involved knew one another before the confrontation. While many readers are understandably curious about what prompted the dispute, it’s difficult to imagine circumstances that would justify allegedly spraying gasoline at people around active fuel pumps.
Teen Says Woman Sprayed Gasoline at Pickup and Occupants
One of the victims, 17-year-old Evan Waters, shared video of the incident with WSOC-TV.
Waters said he and a friend were sitting inside his pickup truck with the driver’s side window down while getting gas when the woman approached with a gas nozzle from another vehicle and began spraying gasoline toward the truck and its occupants.
“The woman comes up and starts confronting us and then takes some random person’s gas pump and starts spraying the truck and me and my friend with gas, and we don’t know what to do,” Waters told the station.
The owners of Sharon Express told WSOC-TV that someone at the pumps shut off the gasoline before the woman drove away.
Waters said he and his friend were able to provide the license plate number of the suspect vehicle, which investigators later used, along with witness statements and surveillance video, to identify Hatcher.
As a junior firefighter in Hiddenite, Waters said he immediately understood the danger of what had happened. “It’s super dangerous,” Waters said. “Any spark or anything could have ignited it and made everything a lot worse.”
Readers Focused on the Fire Risk and Asked Why She Was Still Free
The sheriff’s office’s Facebook post generated dozens of comments, with many readers focusing on how dangerous the alleged incident was because it happened around active fuel pumps.
Many pointed to the fire risk posed by gasoline and were relieved no ignition occurred. Others praised the quick actions of the convenience store employee who reportedly shut off the fuel pumps.
Another frequent topic was Hatcher’s recent encounters with law enforcement. Public records show she was already being held in the Alexander County Detention Center on unrelated charges when the Iredell County warrants were served, and several commenters referenced her other recent arrests. Some questioned why someone with multiple recent run-ins with law enforcement had been back in the community before this incident.
Others wanted to know what led to the confrontation, but investigators have not released those details.
As often happens with unusual stories, many readers also injected humor into the discussion. Some joked about wasting expensive gasoline, while others referenced scenes from Madea movies involving fuel. At the same time, many encouraged people to walk away from confrontations, especially at places where flammable fuels are being handled.
The investigation remains ongoing, and the charges against Hatcher are allegations that have not been proven in court.