Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of shoppers at the West Gastonia Walmart off Myrtle School Road gathered to watch in amazement as what appeared to be a prehistoric pterodactyl, zooming above the building and parking lot.
The sighting was first noticed when a loud clanging noise was coming from the rooftop of the building, prompting shift manager Tammy Teeter to take a look outside. When outside, Teeter recalls seeing a large, crane-like bird flapping its wings every few seconds.
“I thought it was a crane cause those are pretty normal to see around here. When it creeped toward the side of the automotive lot, I could see it wasn’t a regular bird at all. I was so scared, I ran into the garage.” Teeter recounts.
It didn’t take long for a group of customers exiting the Walmart to gather around and see what the commotion was all about. Moments after a crowd gathered, the prehistoric bird soared off the east end of the building and began circling above the main entrance.
Billy Pope, a mechanic at Walmart Automotive, rushed to the parking lot when he saw the panicked crowd. “I thought someone had stolen a set of lawn mower tires again. That’s happened twice this week”.
To his surprise, it wasn’t lawn mower tires, but a pterodactyl.
Pope then proceeded to grab a lug nut wrench, hurling it at the prehistoric bird. This only made matters worse, causing the bird to grasp Pope by the shoulder, dropping him to the ground from about 30 feet onto the bags of mulch. Pope suffered only minor injuries and is expected to be okay.
“I’ve had experience with those before. Growing up in Bessemer City I had encounters with a couple of them and was able to kill one. My paw paw has it mounted. At this point it’s probably looking for me, so I’ll be ready if it comes back again. Me and the guys in the garage are gonna build a weapon big enough to take it down.”
Local paleontologist and Schiele Museum employee Michael Helms commented on the story saying, “There’s been some sightings in more mountainous regions of the state, but this is the first I’ve heard of around here. Those things were supposed to die out 66 million years ago, so I’m pretty frightened to say the least.”
Helms says he discourages anyone, especially Gastonia, Bessemer City, and Cherryville residents from attempting to capture or take down the creature, and to call emergency services if you think you see a pterodactyl.
GNN will be following the story and will provide updates as they come in.
Have you encountered a pterodactyl in Gaston County?
Comments