Law enforcement charged Beaufort man Friday for firing a shot at a motorist and hitting the target in the head with the butt of a gun. Gilbert Hanners, 25, was booked for assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, and pointing and presenting firearms at a person Jan. 12, jail records show.

Hanners has a history of alleged violent acts. In 2021, he was accused of targeting and shooting at a man in Beaufort’s Polk Village, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. He was charged with attempted murder and let out on bond. In 2023, he was charged with second-degree assault and battery and again let out on bond.

The most recent incident began Jan. 3 on Milledge Village Road in Burton. A man and woman leaving Walmart had a road rage skirmish with another car and when they pulled over to talk about it Hanners came out of a nearby residence with a weapon. According to the Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Maj. Angela Veins, Hanners hit the man on top of his head with the butt of the gun. She also said Hanners fired one round that didn’t hit anyone. It is unclear if the involved parties knew each other before the incident. Hanner wasn’t in either of the cars.

EMS was called and the hurt man was taken to the hospital for treatment with a “goose egg” bump on his head, according to Veins. She said no one else was injured.

Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office arrested Hanners Jan. 12. He is being held at the Beaufort County Detention Center.