Driver escapes after masked man attempts to smash SUV window

DENVER, N.C. — A 28-year-old Charlotte man was arrested Sept. 23 after attempting to break into a vehicle near Highway 16 and Optimist Club Road in Lincoln County.

Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office deputies apprehended Andres Rodriguez following a short pursuit on foot.

The incident occurred around 5 p.m. when a driver, identified only as Stacey, noticed a masked individual watching his vehicle at the intersection.

The suspect approached and attempted to shatter the window before the driver escaped.

Stacey, a Denver resident who requested that only his first name be used due to personal security concerns, observed a masked person wearing sunglasses and dark clothes watching his SUV.

“I noticed he locked onto my vehicle and as he kept walking his eyes just stayed on my vehicle,” he said.

Stacey stopped at the light. He had a hunch Rodriguez wasn’t looking for spare change.

Sensing the man had malicious goals, Stacey began driving away as the person approached, pulled a metallic item from his trousers, and struck the driver-side window twice.

“I thought, ‘Oh, he’s pulling a gun,’” Stacey said.

It was a railroad spike. Stacey hit the gas as Rodriguez took a second swipe at the driver’s window.

The SUV nudged the masked man.

“It was close enough that it spun him,” he said. “He was fumbling. He was shooked. He was trying to hide his weapon.”

Stacey called 911 and even made a U-turn to give a full description for responding officers.

“There are 50 people at that intersection who don’t know what’s going on,” he said.

Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office deputies located Rodriguez in the area shortly after the report and took him into custody following the brief foot chase.

Stacey said that Rodriguez was determined to get this SUV.

“What if that would have been my wife and my baby son in the car?” Stacey said.

Rodriguez was arrested and charged with attempted breaking and entering of a motor vehicle and resist, delay, or obstruct a public officer. Rodriguez was given a $20,000 secured bond and placed in the Harven A. Crouse Detention Center.

The suspect was still in jail on Wednesday.

©2026 Cox Media Group