CROSSVILLE, TENNESSEE — A truck driver was arrested and banned from a Pilot Travel Center on November 6 after police said he pointed a gun at another driver who had left his truck parked at the fuel pumps while eating dinner.
Crossville Police Officer Shelters responded to the Pilot on Genesis Road around 6:19 p.m. Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office officers, including Sptl. Zimmerman and Lt. South, were already there, ordering David Barnes out of his truck after reports of an altercation involving a gun.
The dispute began when Barnes took issue with the other driver leaving his truck at the fuel island for an extended time while eating at a nearby restaurant. Barnes started recording the other driver on his phone as he returned to the truck, and the two had a verbal exchange.
Store surveillance footage showed Barnes retrieving a handgun from the driver’s side area of his truck, racking the slide, and pointing it in the direction of the other driver and his vehicle as the man walked past. Barnes first denied brandishing the weapon and told Officer Shelters he had only placed it on his seat. He later said he felt fearful because of his age and medical conditions, but he could not give any specific examples of threatening behavior from the other driver.
The other driver told police he was terrified and feared for his life. He avoided eye contact with Barnes to keep the situation from escalating.
Barnes was arrested for aggravated assault and taken to the Cumberland County Justice Center. The store manager asked that he be permanently banned from the property.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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