A North Carolina woman is facing assault and property-damage charges after deputies say she sprayed gasoline into a pickup truck where two teenagers were sitting outside a convenience store, creating what witnesses described as a potentially dangerous situation near active fuel pumps.
In a report for WSOC-TV, reporter Dave Faherty said the incident happened at Sharon Express on Island Ford Road in Iredell County, where a 17-year-old and a friend were sitting inside a truck with the driver’s-side window down.
Investigators say a verbal confrontation in the parking lot escalated when a woman identified as 27-year-old Christina Dawn Hatcher allegedly grabbed a gas nozzle from another vehicle and began spraying gasoline toward the truck and the people inside it.
The teenagers said they did not know what prompted the confrontation, and investigators told Faherty they had not determined what set Hatcher off.
Surveillance video captured the encounter, and deputies later used the footage along with a vehicle description and witness information to identify Hatcher as the suspect, according to the report.
She was charged with misdemeanor assault with a deadly weapon and misdemeanor injury to personal property. The allegations remain pending, and Hatcher will have the opportunity to answer the charges in court.
Surveillance Video Shows Gasoline Sprayed Toward Truck
Faherty reported that Evan Waters, one of the teens involved, shared video of the encounter with Channel 9.
Waters said he and a friend were sitting inside his pickup truck at the gas station when the woman approached the driver’s-side window.
“The woman comes up and starts confronting us,” Waters said, “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.”
The footage reportedly shows a woman taking a nozzle from another vehicle, walking toward the pickup, and spraying gasoline in the direction of the open window.
For the teens inside the truck, the situation appears to have unfolded quickly. They were seated near fuel pumps, the window was open, and gasoline was being directed toward the truck and its occupants.
Gasoline is not only a liquid that can damage surfaces and clothing; it is also highly flammable, which is why the alleged act immediately raised concerns among store staff, deputies, and the teens themselves.
The incident did not result in a fire, but the risk was clear enough that the store’s owners said someone at the pumps shut off the fuel supply while the confrontation was still happening.
Teen Says Any Spark Could Have Made It Worse
Waters told Faherty he understood the seriousness of being sprayed with gasoline because he is a junior firefighter in Hiddenite.
“It’s super dangerous,” he said. “Any spark or anything could have ignited it and made everything a lot worse.”
That concern is difficult to dismiss.
Gas stations are built with safety systems because fuel vapors can ignite under the wrong conditions. A lit cigarette, an electrical spark, a vehicle ignition source, static electricity, or another open flame can become dangerous when gasoline is present.
The report did not say that anyone tried to start a fire or that an ignition source was used. But the alleged spraying happened in a location where fuel was already being dispensed, which is why deputies treated it as more than an ordinary argument in a parking lot.
Mike Patel, the owner of Sharon Express, told Faherty that he was stunned by what happened.
“It’s very dangerous, and seeing that was crazy,” Patel said.
The situation also shows how quickly a minor confrontation can become something much more serious when fuel, vehicles, and crowded public spaces are involved. The teenagers did not appear to expect any kind of danger when they stopped at the convenience store, but the encounter allegedly turned into one where they had to think about escaping fuel exposure and identifying a suspect vehicle.
Deputies Say Motive Remains Unclear
One of the central questions in the case is why the confrontation began.
Faherty said investigators told him they did not know what caused Hatcher to allegedly target the truck or the teens inside it.
The teen victims also said they were unsure what set her off.
That missing explanation leaves the case with a significant gap. Surveillance footage may show what happened, but it may not reveal what was said before the camera angle began, whether there had been an earlier encounter, or whether Hatcher believed there was some reason to confront the people in the truck.
Those facts may become clearer as deputies complete interviews and prosecutors review the evidence.
For now, the allegations focus on the conduct investigators say was captured on video: the use of a gas nozzle to spray fuel toward the truck and its occupants.
The distinction matters because criminal cases often turn on what can be independently shown. Witness accounts, surveillance video, store records, and the amount of damage to the vehicle could all become part of the evidence if the case goes forward.
Store Staff Cut Off Fuel During The Incident
According to the owners of Sharon Express, someone at the pumps stopped the gasoline flow during the confrontation.
That action may have prevented the incident from becoming more dangerous.
A gas station is one of the last places where a confrontation involving a fuel nozzle should continue for long. Even without a fire, gasoline can damage paint, seep into vehicle interiors, cause strong fumes, and create exposure risks for anyone nearby.
The report did not specify how much gasoline entered the truck or whether either teen needed medical attention. It also did not say whether the truck required professional cleaning or repair afterward.
But the allegation that gasoline was sprayed into an open vehicle window is serious on its own because it placed the teens in direct contact with a flammable substance at close range.
The store owner’s reaction reflected what many people would likely feel watching the footage: whatever the underlying argument may have been, handling it near fuel pumps in that way created risks for everyone around the area, not only the two teenagers.
Hatcher Was Already In Custody In Another County
Deputies in Iredell County were able to identify Hatcher after reviewing the surveillance footage and gathering information about the vehicle involved, Faherty reported.
By the time investigators connected her to the gas station incident, she was already being held in Alexander County on separate allegations involving a break-in near Stony Point.
WSOC-TV reported that Hatcher was served with the Iredell County warrants while in custody at the Alexander County Detention Center.
A magistrate set her bond at $10,000 secured, according to the report.
The break-in allegations were separate from the gas station case, and they should not be treated as proof of guilt in the current charges. Still, they explain why authorities were able to serve the new warrants while she was already in custody elsewhere.
A former roommate who spoke with Faherty but was not identified by name described Hatcher as unpredictable after drinking.
“You never know what’s going to transpire,” the former roommate said. “What she is going to say or what she’s going to do. She’s a wild card.”
That statement is one person’s view and not a finding by investigators. It may become part of the public conversation around the case, but the criminal charges will depend on evidence related to the reported gas station incident.
The Case Highlights The Risk Of Escalation Around Fuel
The allegations in this case are unusual because they involve gasoline used during a confrontation rather than merely spilled during an accident.
Most people understand that gasoline is dangerous in theory, but the danger can be easy to overlook when it is being pumped into a vehicle during an ordinary stop. It becomes much more obvious when fuel is directed toward people in an enclosed truck.
Faherty’s report showed that the teens were able to provide a tag number after the incident, which gave deputies an important lead. The surveillance video then helped investigators confirm the description and identify a suspect.
That combination of witness information and video evidence is often what allows an incident at a busy public location to move from a confusing dispute into a criminal case.
The case is still unfolding, and the motive remains unclear. Hatcher has not been convicted, and the charges against her are allegations that must be proven in court.
But the reported events serve as a reminder that arguments at gas stations carry risks beyond harsh words or damaged property. When gasoline is involved, a confrontation can become dangerous in seconds, even before anyone fully understands how far the situation may go.
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, John developed a love for the great outdoors early on. With years of experience as a wilderness guide, he’s navigated rugged terrains and unpredictable weather patterns. John is also an avid hunter and fisherman who believes in sustainable living. His focus on practical survival skills, from building shelters to purifying water, reflects his passion for preparedness. When he’s not out in the wild, you can find him sharing his knowledge through writing, hoping to inspire others to embrace self-reliance.
