BOONE, N.C. — A wanted fugitive was arrested in Boone after pistol-whipping a person inside a restaurant and then fleeing the scene.
On Sunday, Dec. 10, the Boone Police Department and Watauga County Sheriff's Department responded to reports of an assault with a weapon at Lilly's Snack Bar on Blowing Rock Road. The victim told police that a person hit them in the head with the handle of a handgun and then drove away in a silver sports car.
Officers checked the area and found a silver 2023 Ferrari Roma in a Circle K parking lot in Boone. A deputy found the driver, 29-year-old Harrison Gilbert, Jr. inside the Circle K, who then ran from police and went into the New River to try to avoid being arrested.
After Gilbert got out of the water, he was arrested and taken to Watauga Medical Center for hypothermia.
Police discovered that Gilbert was a wanted fugitive in Georgia and New Jersey. After appearing in court, he was served with out-of-state warrants. He was also charged with numerous offenses from his actions in Boone, including assault with a deadly weapon, resisting arrest, and several drug charges.
Gilbert is currently being held at the Watauga County Detention Center under a $402,500 secured bond.