MENU

Nation

Tuesday, May 07, 2024

Man charged with pepper-spraying Confederate re-enactors

August 18, 2017 12:00 am • Last Updated: August 18, 2017 8:44 am

NEWTON, N.C. — Police say a man pepper-sprayed Confederate re-enactors in North Carolina during a reunion parade.

News outlets quote police as saying that 56-year-old Karl Smith of Morganton has been charged with two counts of misdemeanor assault. It wasn't clear if he had an attorney.

Authorities say he assaulted the re-enactors Thursday afternoon during the 2017 Soldiers Reunion parade in Newton, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) northwest of Charlotte.

According to a police report, Smith sprayed the re-enactors when they stopped to fire their weapons.

Police seized a small canister of pepper spray and a .38-caliber revolver for which Smith had a concealed-weapon permit.

The re-enactors were treated by emergency medical personnel at the scene.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans were among a number of groups in the parade.

Comment threads are monitored for 48 hours after publication and then closed.

STORIES THAT MAY INTEREST YOU

Porn performer Stormy Daniels is called to the witness stand at Trump's hush money trial

NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors in the hush money trial of former President Donald Trump have called porn actor Stormy Daniels to the witness stand. Daniels has alleged that she had a sexual encounter wit...

Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting cease-fire talks on knife's edge

CAIRO (AP) — Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as cease-fire n...

Social Security, Medicare finances look grim as overall debt piles up

Social Security and Medicare will run out of money in just over a decade, a new report warned Monday, putting fresh pressure on Congress to address the nation’s financial health as federal debt rises ...

Boeing calls off first astronaut launch because of valve issue on rocket

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Boeing called off its first astronaut launch because of a valve problem on the rocket Monday night. The two NASA test pilots had just strapped into Boeing’s Starliner caps...