A 27-year-old North Carolina man has been hit with an extraordinary slate of hate-crime and kidnapping charges after a late-night crash, while police have refused to provide clarity on how those charges were reached.
According to arrest warrants issued December 7, 2025, by the Zebulon Police Department, Austin Thomas Herber faces nine criminal charges stemming from an altercation after his white truck was allegedly rammed by a black car that then attempted to flee the scene, CBS17 reported.
Prosecutors allege the following offenses:
- Assault Inflicting Serious Injury (misdemeanor)
- Assault and Battery
- Two counts of Assault by Pointing a Gun
- Two counts of Kidnapping
- Two counts of Communicating Threats
- Two counts of Ethnic Intimidation (hate-crime enhancement)
- Going Armed to the Terror of the People
Surveillance footage shows a black car losing control while driving through grass and slamming into a white truck.
Emma Larson, who said she was a passenger in Herber’s truck as they were leaving a bar called Smash Masters, described serious injuries from the crash, including bruising and seven stitches to her mouth and face.
“The crash knocked us out,” Larson told CBS 17. “I woke up and there was blood all over my legs and all over my face. After that, I was hearing that the guys in the other car were trying to flee.”
Police say there were three men in the black car and that the driver fled the scene before officers arrived.
Investigators claim two men reported being assaulted. The warrants allege Herber kicked and struck one man repeatedly in the head, causing swelling, bruising, facial pain, abrasions, and difficulty moving his jaw.
The documents further allege Herber pointed a gold-over-black H&K 9mm handgun at the men “without legal justification” and made threats that caused them to believe violence would occur.
Prosecutors also allege ethnic intimidation, asserting the men were targeted because of their race, color, nationality, or country of origin.
Jessica Thompson, the owner of Smash Masters, said she arrived moments before the crash and remained on scene until police arrived. She flatly disputes the most serious accusations.
“I was in pure shock. I couldn’t believe the charges,” Thompson told CBS17. “When we pulled up, there were two people on the ground and Austin was instructing them not to leave. One got away before cops came.”
Thompson added that she never saw a gun and did not witness Herber striking anyone with a firearm.
“The only thing I saw him do was come up to them and take them by the shoulder and tell them to get back on the ground, because those individuals were trying to leave the scene,” she said.
The Zebulon Police Department refused to provide clarity regarding the hate-crime allegations or the charge of terrorizing others with a firearm.
WATCH:
#BREAKING: A white North Carolina man, Austin Herber, has just been charged with multiple HATE CRIMES and KIDNAPPING after 3 Hispanic men allegedly SMASHED their car into his truck, and he detained them as they tried to run away.
Witnesses say Austin grabbed the men by the… pic.twitter.com/bSchWqHWyY
— Matt Van Swol (@mattvanswol) December 18, 2025
The post North Carolina Man Charged With ‘HATE CRIMES and KIDNAPPING’ After Detaining Hispanic Men Who RAMMED His Truck and Tried to Flee — Police Won’t Provide Clarity on the Charges (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.