Kernersville Man Who Shot At A North Carolina State Highway Patrol Officer Convicted of Firearms and Drug Offenses

GREENSBORO, N.C. - On Wednesday, February 12, 2020, a jury in federal court convicted a Kernersville man of four felony charges related to shooting at a state trooper, announced United States Attorney Matthew G.T. Martin of the Middle District of North Carolina. 

Following a three day trial in Greensboro, the jury found TYLER LLOYD GRANTZ, age 20, guilty of knowing possession of a stolen firearm, possession with intent to distribute a mixture containing cocaine hydrochloride, possession with intent to distribute a mixture containing oxycodone, and carry and use of firearms, through discharge, during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

Evidence presented at trial showed that on March 5, 2019, a North Carolina State Highway Patrol trooper tried to stop of GRANTZ for driving in excess of 100 mph on I-40 in Orange County. As he fled, GRANTZ, fired multiple rounds from a Glock .40 caliber handgun at the trooper, striking the patrol vehicle’s radiator. GRANTZ then pulled over and fired multiple rounds at the trooper with a Draco 7.62x39 mm rifle before fleeing on foot. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office began a manhunt for GRANTZ, ultimately arresting him later that morning. During the investigation, officers recovered the handgun from the GRANTZ’S vehicle and the rifle from his person. At the time of his arrest, GRANTZ possessed distribution amounts of cocaine hydrochloride and oxycodone, drug packaging paraphernalia, and additional ammunition. Deputies discovered that the car GRANTZ was driving was stolen, and that the Glock .40 caliber handgun he had fired was also stolen.

In reviewing GRANTZ’S social media accounts, officers saw an image of a person who appears to be GRANTZ holding a Glock handgun similar in appearance to the stolen Glock handgun recovered from the car, posted shortly after it was reported as stolen. A search of GRANTZ’S cell phone, left in his vehicle, revealed multiple text messages related to the sale of controlled substances and the possession of firearms.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 11, 2020, at 2:00 p.m., in Greensboro, before United States District Judge William L. Osteen, Jr. GRANTZ faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for possession of the stolen firearm, a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the narcotics offenses, and a consecutive sentence of ten years to life for discharging a firearm during and in relation to a drug crime.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Raleigh-Durham Safe Streets Task Force and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the North Carolina State Highway Patrol and the Chapel Hill Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney JoAnna G. McFadden.