BAY MINETTE, ALABAMA — A 23-year-old Bay Minette man was arrested after admitting he fired a handgun into an occupied semi-truck on Alabama 59 north of Bay Minette, in what he called a random act. A bullet landed inside the cab between the driver and passenger seats. No one was hurt.
Jason Chandler was arrested Monday, November 2, and accused of discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle, records show.
Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office said 18-wheeler driver Leon Hayden reported the shooting on October 29 while traveling northbound. Hayden told deputies he heard a loud popping sound and pulled off the road. Investigators recovered a large-caliber projectile inside the cab between the driver and passenger seats and found bullet damage on the driver’s side exterior. Hayden said no altercation came before the shooting.
Video retrieved from Hayden’s employer showed a dark-colored Chevrolet Avalanche with two distinctive white decals on the rear glass passing the truck around the time of the impact. After a request for help went out to surrounding agencies, a deputy spotted a matching vehicle at a Bay Minette residence Monday morning. Officers saw a large-caliber handgun sitting on the front passenger seat.
Deputies contacted Chandler, the homeowner, who admitted owning the vehicle and firing the handgun at the tractor-trailer on October 29. “He stated the shooting was a random act and offered no motive,” the sheriff’s office said. Authorities believe the incident was isolated and that there is no ongoing threat to the public.
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