Demolition derby erupts in traffic after narcotics deal goes wrong, NC cops say

A brazen attempt to use counterfeit money in a drug deal set off a dangerous chase that included gunfire and cars ramming each in broad daylight, according to investigators in North Carolina.

The chase erupted around 3 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6, near Taylorsville, and deputies initially believed it was a case of road rage.

“Through the course of the investigation, officers determined that Robert Morgan Galle had traveled to Catawba County to purchase narcotics from Brian Keith Brown and Albert Dennis Schroeder,” the Alexander County Sheriffs Office said in a Nov. 7 news release.

“Investigators learned that Brown and Schroeder were defrauded by Galle, who allegedly used counterfeit currency to pay for the narcotics. Following the fraudulent transaction, Brown and Schroeder pursued Galle’s vehicle.”

It was during the pursuit that “shots were fired into Galle’s vehicle,” officials said.

The pursuing car then rammed Galle’s vehicle “at which point Galle rammed their vehicle in return,” the sheriff’s office said.

Deputies and troopers with the North Carolina Highway Patrol launched a search for the vehicles, resulting in both being stopped and all three men arrested, officials said.

Galle, 35, of Taylorsville is charged with assault with a deadly weapon, the sheriff’s office said.

Brown, 45, of Conover is charged with assault with a deadly weapon, reckless driving to endanger and driving while license revoked, officials said.

Schroeder, 42, of Conover is charged with discharging a weapon into an occupied vehicle, the sheriff’s office said.

Taylorsville is about a 65-mile drive northwest from Charlotte.

This story was originally published November 12, 2025 at 7:48 AM with the headline "Demolition derby erupts in traffic after narcotics deal goes wrong, NC cops say."