An arrest turned chaotic in western North Carolina when a suspect shot himself and the bullet also struck a special agent in his protective vest, according to the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation.
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It happened Friday at a strip mall in Spruce Pine, as agents were attempting arrest 52-year-old Timothy Alan Hoilman, the SBI said in a May 15 news release.
“A team of special agents, in cooperation with Spruce Pine Police Department, was serving an arrest warrant on a subject charged with two counts of statutory sex offense with a child 15 years or younger and one count of statutory rape of a child 15 years or younger,” the SBI reports.
“When approached by the special agents, the suspect drew a concealed weapon and sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The discharged round also struck an SBI Special Agent in his protective vest.”
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The agent was not seriously hurt, officials said. His identity was not released.
“SBI agents immediately rendered medical aid and secured the scene,” officials said. “The suspect was transported to a nearby medical facility for treatment.”
Details of Hoilman’s condition were not released.
Spruce Pine is about a 115-mile drive northwest from uptown Charlotte.
This story was originally published May 15, 2026 at 1:44 PM with the headline “Man shoots himself during arrest and bullet also hits SBI agent, NC officials say.”
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