Man Arrested For Assault With Wooden Bat

A fight between two men at a used car lot resulted in a felony arrest after one of them hit the other over the head with a wooden bat.

Police were called to Jay's Used Cars in Tucker just after noon on Nov. 13 when two customers got into a fight. A police report stated that Andre Ford, 43, of Stone Mountain, believed he got cheated out of a car by Winston Harper, 57, of Decatur, in a transaction that took place last year.

According to the report, Ford came to the dealership to reconcile with Harper. "(He) stated that he came to squash the whole thing and that Harper said 'Oh, we'll squash it alright.'"

Drew Turpin, a witness who was present in the main office, told Harper to calm down, to no avail. The men went outside and Ford hit Harper in the left eye, and Harper produced a bat and struck Ford with it. Harper's ankle was broken during the altercation, police said.

Harper was charged with aggravated assault and transported to Grady Hospital's emergency room. Ford refused treatment from paramedics on the scene and drove himself to the hospital.