Main: President Donald Trump delivers the Memorial Day Address at the 157th National Memorial Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery, Monday, May 26, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson). Inset: Shaun B. Jones (Alexander County Sheriff’s Office).
A 43-year-old man in North Carolina is accused of ramming a deputy’s patrol car and leading authorities on a multicounty high-speed chase when they tried to pull him over for allegedly making threats against the life of President Donald Trump.
Shaun Brian Jones was taken into custody over the weekend and charged at the state level with one count each of assault on a government official, resisting arrest, fleeing or eluding arrest in a moving vehicle, and failure to stop for blue light and siren, court records show.
According to an arrest warrant, the investigation into Jones began when the U.S. Secret Service contacted the Catawba Sheriff’s Office on Saturday afternoon regarding alleged “threats towards the president made by the defendant.” The federal agents requested the sheriff’s office locate Jones and perform a welfare check.
That day, a deputy allegedly spotted Jones’ vehicle driving north on Highway 16 in Conover, a city located around 45 miles northwest of Charlotte, and attempted to conduct an “investigative stop” on the vehicle. At some point during the traffic stop, authorities say, Jones assaulted the deputy by “striking the front of [the deputy’s] patrol vehicle with his vehicle.” The deputy was “still inside the patrol vehicle” when it was allegedly struck by Jones.
After smashing into the deputy’s vehicle, Jones allegedly drove away, continuing to travel north on the highway.
A sheriff’s deputy in Alexander County soon located Jones’ car and similarly attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but Jones allegedly refused to stop. Authorities also noted that Jones was driving “recklessly” and was “speeding in excess of 15 miles per hour over the legal speed limit” as he attempted to elude deputies.
After notifying officials in Alexander County about the situation, authorities located Jones’ vehicle in the parking lot of First Baptist Church in Taylorsville, around 16 miles north. He was taken into custody following a brief standoff, Charlotte-based Fox affiliate WJZY reported.
After Jones’ arrest, deputies reportedly discovered that an explosive device may have been in the defendant’s car. The Gaston County Police Department’s Hazardous Device Units were called to the scene to investigate, and traffic in the surrounding area was temporarily closed, but the vehicle was found to be clear of any dangerous devices.
Court documents did not provide any details about the nature of the threats Jones allegedly made against the president.
In a statement to WJZY, a spokesperson for the Secret Service said the agency “takes any information or activity that could be perceived as a potential threat to our protectees extremely seriously.”
“We investigate and act on such matters swiftly and in close coordination with our law enforcement partners,” the statement said.
Jones had not been charged with any federal crimes as of Monday morning, but the Secret Service reportedly said that its investigation into the incident remains ongoing.
Jones is currently being held in the Alexander County Detention Center on $120,000 bond. He is scheduled to make his first appearance in court on Feb. 16, records show.
