GASTONIA, N.C.,None — A Belmont man says he walked into a body shop to ask a few business questions and was jumped by the owner.
That owner is now charged with assault.
Billy Walkokiaw, an auto repair specialist, said he was beaten up by the body shop owner.
"I was scared to death," he said. "I thought this guy was going to kill me."
Walkokiaw said he went to Rick's Body Shop in Gastonia last week to have them fill out a labor survey.
"I used this information to determine if a car is totaled," Walkokiaw said.
He said he was told to come back the next day to speak with the owner, Rick Russell.
When Walkokiaw returned, he said he was called to the back of the shop, where Russell was standing with his employees.
"He crossed his arms and said, ‘So you can tell whether a car is fixed right or not,'" Walkokiaw said.
Walkokiaw said Russell was upset because the shop where Walkokiaw works exposed some bad repairs at Rick's Body Shop.
"He grabbed me, threw me against the truck (and) he jumped on top of me," Walkokiaw said.
He said Russell hit him repeatedly until another employee pulled him off.
Walkokiaw said he ran to his car and that Russell beat on the windows and shouted at him.
"He was aggressive," Walkokiaw said. "He was angry. He was screaming."
Walkokiaw called 911, and police responded.
Russell admitted to the police chief that there was a scuffle between him and Walkokiaw, but he said Walkokiaw was trespassing. Russell contacted his attorney to investigate because he believes Walkokiaw's labor surveys amount to illegal price fixing.