Brian Knauer, 33, of Dittmer is facing charges for allegedly firing a gun and trying to hit another man with a pickup outside a Eureka gas station. No one was injured in the incident, authorities reported.
Knauer was charged with illegal use of a weapon, a class E felony that carries a penalty of up to four years in prison, and fourth-degree assault, a class C misdemeanor punishable by up to 15 days in jail and a fine of up to $700, according to court documents.
On March 21, Knauer allegedly followed a 24-year-old Farmington man from a home in Pacific to the QuikTrip gas station, 290 E. Fourth St., in Eureka. Knauer previously dated the woman who lives at the Pacific home, and the Farmington man had since begun a relationship with her, Eureka Police reported.
The Farmington man said he left his girlfriend’s home and noticed a black Dodge Ram with tinted windows and a blue light bar following him on eastbound I-44. He said the person driving that pickup followed him off the interstate and to the QuikTrip, the report said.
The Farmington man said he called his girlfriend from the gas station and confirmed with her that Knauer drove a Ram that matched the description of the pickup he believed was following him. The Farmington man said he then followed Knauer, who left the gas station but then circled back to the station and parked, according to the report.
The Farmington man said he approached the pickup Knauer was driving and yelled at him. Then, Knauer rolled down his window and reportedly pointed a gun at the Farmington man and told him to get away. After that Knauer allegedly fired one shot from the gun and tried to run into the Farmington man with his pickup, the probable-cause statement in the case said.
A .9-millimeter casing was found on the parking lot that police believe was from the gun Knauer fired, the report said.