Call from driver on I-77 leads York Co. deputies to stolen gun, pot

A call about a driver with a gun on Interstate 77 led York County deputies to a man they ultimately charged with carrying a stolen firearm and marijuana.

Lawrence Jeffery Brooks, 34, of Lowell, N.C., was arrested at a gas station on Carowinds Boulevard earlier this week after another driver on the interstate said Brooks cut him off in traffic and pointed a gun at him out the window, according to an incident report.

Deputies located Brooks at a gas station at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday in a vehicle that matched the description and license plate of the vehicle. After deputies detained Brooks, they reportedly found a Bersa Thunder 9mm pistol in the car’s glove compartment, along with a clear plastic bag of marijuana.

After running the gun’s serial number, deputies determined it was listed as stolen.

Brooks told deputies he became upset at the other driver because he felt he was intentionally blocking him from merging lanes, and had motioned for the driver “to pull over so he could fight him,” but denied ever presenting the gun to the driver, the report states.

As for the gun, he told deputies it belonged to his mother, who had recently purchased it from someone else. He was arrested and charged with possession of a stolen pistol and second-offense possession of marijuana.

This story was originally published April 22, 2016 at 11:40 AM with the headline "Call from driver on I-77 leads York Co. deputies to stolen gun, pot."