Video: NC Firefighter Pulls Gun on Driver at Crash Scene

A North Carolina firefighter drew a gun on a motorist at a crash scene over the weekend, and video of the incident has gone viral on social media.

The encounter happened Saturday as the Acme-Delco-Riegelwood Fire Department was responding to an accident in eastern Columbus County, WRAL-TV reports. Firefighters used an apparatus to block traffic around the scene.

In a social media post published Sunday, Tae DeLeon, who was driving past the accident, said she had clashed with a firefighter at the scene before another firefighter pulled a gun and pointed it at her. She captured the incident in a video included with the post.

"I was in a confrontation with another fireman (I wish I had a photo of him, he tried to attack me & the fire chief & some other guy had to hold him back) & then was threatened by this fireman with a gun pointed at my car," DeLeon wrote.

In the video, the firefighter, who is identified as Jeff Sherwood, tells DeLeon, "Go ahead and film all you want." DeLeon, who would not comment to WRAL, then tells Sherwood to move away from her vehicle.

According to Brianna Grotzinger, a witness to the incident, DeLeon was traveling through the accident site without slowing down and tried to drive around the blocking apparatus by going on the median. That's when Sherwood brought out his weapon, Grotzinger told WRAL.

"He came around the firetruck, (and) he then pointed his gun out because he thought he was about to get hit by this car," she said. "He told her to turn her vehicle off and stay put until the state trooper got there."

Sherwood said he was scared during the incident but would not comment further. He openly carries a firearm, which North Carolina allows except in certain restricted locations.

Fire Chief Steve Camlin would not comment on the incident but said that the video doesn't tell the entire story. Camlin told WECT-TV that the department's board would be looking into what happened.

The State Fire Marshal's Office would not comment directly about the incident but said it planned to investigate. A spokesman with the office said that while firefighters aren't generally allowed to arrest people, some volunteer firefighters also work in law enforcement, though it's not clear if that's the case with Sherwood.

Ed Brinson, deputy director of the North Carolina State Firefighters Association, told WRAL that the state doesn't restrict firefighters from carrying firearms, but departments might prohibit it. Paramedics, however, are not allowed to carry guns under North Carolina law.

North Carolina Highway Patrol officials said no troopers witnessed the incident and that the Columbus County Sheriff's Office would conduct any ensuing investigation. But the latter agency said no incident report had been filed as of Monday.