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3:26 a.m. • 2-7-12

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Man hit with frozen turkey suspect in two carjackings


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Fred Ervin hit in the head with a frozen turkey 11/23
Fred Ervin hit in the head with a frozen turkey 11/23

Garner police say that a carjacking suspect whom bystanders hit with a frozen turkey in a grocery store parking lot Saturday was involved in a carjacking and robbery at the same intersection a day earlier.

Fred Louis Ervin, 30, is accused of stealing cash from a BP gas station at Ten-Ten Road and U.S. Highway 401 in Garner and then punching a woman and stealing her car from a nearby Harris Teeter Sunday morning.

"It's unusual to say the least," Fuquay-Varina Police Chief Larry Smith said. "I don't know in my 30-year career I've heard of someone getting in a fight with a frozen turkey involved."

Investigators say that Ervin struck at a McDonald's restaurant in the BP station the previous evening.

Jesus Quijada, 56, of Raleigh, told police that Ervin used a gun and stole his wallet and 1999 Chevrolet Cavalier around 6:45 p.m. Saturday.

Fuquay-Varina police recovered the car and wallet at Old McCullers Road and Gulley Lane, off U.S. 401, Sunday evening. The car had been damaged, according to the incident report.

Ervin was treated at WakeMed for a head wound. A bystander hit him in the head with a frozen turkey during the reported carjacking in the Harris Teeter parking lot, and he crashed the victim's car into five vehicles in the parking lot.

"People are trying to fight him, he's hurting people, he's hurting cars. There's kids around," a 911 caller said.

Smith credited the bystanders who fought with Ervin.

"We don't really encourage people to do (that) because of the dangers involved. But, obviously, some citizens decided they were going to take the chance to help their fellow citizen," the police chief said.

"And in this case, they slowed him down some, which gave us more time to get to area."

He was charged on Tuesday with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, robbery with a dangerou weapon, driving with a revoked license, hit-and-run and common law robbery. His bond was set at $502,500.

Ervin is on probation from an attempted common-law robbery in Mecklenburg County in 2004, according to state Department of Correction records. He has an extensive criminal record in that county, dating to 1995.

Ervin has been convicted twice of larceny of a motor vehicle and selling drugs and once of common-law robbery and hit-and-run. He has been sentenced to probation six times and imprisoned for violating probation five times, serving a total of about 34 months.

The Wake County Sheriff's Office and Garner and Fuquay-Varina police departments are investigating the crimes in which Ervin is accused. The BP is in Garner town limits, and the Harris Teeter is in Fuquay-Varina.

RELATED TOPICS: Fuquay-Varina, Mecklenburg County, Wake County, Garner, Raleigh

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Actually, it was not put into the N&O until Tues. (my post was on Mon. when all other media outlets had it Sun. and Mon. And actually, it's buried on 2B without any mugshot. But that's what the N&O does -- it's not surprising.

This is for WRAL......I have now heard and read about this story repeatedly since it happened. NOT ONCE have you mentioned the status of the VICTIM in this incident. Personally I find this almost as offensive as the crime. I, in no way, agree with what this man did and I applaud the bystanders who assisted her. I would have thought that you-WRAL-would have at least mentioned the woman and her condition; or at least have said she preferred not to comment or be commented upon.

SHAME ON YOU!!!!!!!!!

Thank God it was a Butterball and not a Beretta. A Beretta used to foil a crime usually means sympathy for the criminal, a debate over private handgun ownership, an investigation, a grand jury, a defense attorney, lots of legal fees and confiscation of the Beretta.

I am glad that the by-satnders were there and helped the situation. Too many times folks just walk by this sort of situation, and "say it is none of my business", but we are in the south. Thank god for those folks. Too bad everyone didn't have a frozen turkey. Unfortunately this will not be the last time that we hear about this sort of situation between now and January 1. Hopefully we all have learned a little something from the example set by these folks. If we don't have one anothers back who will. This sort of person isn't the type to suffer from the economy. This is the sort of person out to make the working class the PREY. It is time that we all stand up and let this sort of citizen that we are TIRED!!!

He's lucky there weren't any CCW permit people out there or he'd be the dead turkey. What's excessive force on a career criminal ?

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