Joshua Matthew HayesA Chatsworth, Ga., man was arrested over the weekend after allegedly shooting at a truck in a Zaxby's parking lot.
According to a Dalton Police Department incident report, Joshua Matthew Hayes and Callum Austin Speck got into an argument Saturday afternoon when they left a birthday party for Speck's son. Hayes said he was leaning against his red Kia Optima, smoking a cigarette, when Speck walked by carrying his son's plastic four-wheeler.
Hayes asked Speck if the two had a problem. Speck said no. After that, their accounts differ. Speck said Hayes told him to meet in the nearby Zaxby's parking lot on Airport Road "so we can settle this." Hayes, meanwhile, said Speck cursed at him and then followed Hayes' family to the fast-food restaurant.
Hayes said he and Speck are dating sisters, and he told the police the root of the argument was a Facebook comment. Speck had posted a picture of his new house, and Hayes wrote a comment, saying the home was "beautiful." For some reason, which is not explained in the police report, Speck then texted Hayes.
Allegedly, Speck wrote, "I hope u [sic] like the taste of AK 47's [sic] and shotgunshells [sic]."
On Saturday afternoon, in the Zaxby's parking lot, Hayes said he was walking toward the restaurant when Speck revved the engine of his truck. Hayes said he fired two shots of his Taurus .40-caliber pistol in the air and pointed his gun at Speck.
"Go on," Hayes said.
Then Speck backed out of the parking lot and drove away.
But Speck gave a different account. Rather than shooting in the air, he said Hayes shot toward his truck twice. Speck then tried to back out of the parking lot, and Hayes fired two more shots at him. None hit him or the truck, and Speck drove away. A witness at the restaurant told police this account was accurate.
According to the incident report, Speck then called 911, and an officer found him at a nearby gas station, crying. Another officer later went to Hayes' house. He wasn't home, but he later agreed to meet an officer at the Murray County Jail.
There, Dalton police charged Hayes with four counts of aggravated assault, as well as reckless conduct and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. He remained at the Whitfield County Jail on Tuesday without a bond.
A couple of hours after the shooting, Speck wrote on his Facebook page: "Shot a 40. [sic] At me 4 times and missed every shot I hope u [sic] get what's coming cause [sic] I told u [sic] I didnt [sic] want any problems on my baby boys [sic] birthday."
Contact staff writer Tyler Jett at 423-757-6476 or tjett@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @LetsJett.