A Saturday afternoon argument between two men at a Sampson County business sent one man to the hospital for injuries sustained when he was beaten in the head with a pistol.

Deputies from the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office responded to the assault call at Burch Farms, located at 85 Burch Road, Faison, around 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

According to reports, two men, believed to be employees at the farming operation, got into an altercation where one of the men was punched twice in the back of the head. At some point after being hit, the 32-year-old man went to his vehicle to get a gun; the other man, who is yet to be named, went to his vehicle to get a baseball bat.

While the incident was clearly escalating, reports show, employees stepped in to break up the argument. One of the men went to put his gun back into his vehicle, the other went into his vehicle and stole the gun. The suspect allegedly then fired the .45-caliber gun at the other man about a foot away from his feet, hit him twice in the head with the gun and then fired off about four rounds from the weapon before taking off.

The injured man, Chris Cottle of Mount Olive, was taken to Sampson Regional Medical Center after he was reportedly beaten in the head with his own pistol. He was treated and released later that night.

Investigators were on scene Monday morning to talk with additional witnesses about the confrontation. A suspect has been identified and an arrest is expected within the next few days. The suspect could face charges of assault, larceny of a firearm and breaking and entering of a motor vehicle.

To reach Doug Clark call 910-592-8137 ext. 123 or send e-mail to sisports@myclintonnc.com.