By Shavonne Potts

shavonne.potts@salisburypost.com

KANNAPOLIS — A Rowan man faces assault and drug charges after he was accused of punching his friend in the face and hitting his girlfriend with a car following a verbal altercation between the couple.

The Rowan County Sheriff’s Office charged Bryan Philip O’Neal, 39, with misdemeanor assault with a deadly weapon, simple assault, possession of a controlled substance schedule II, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The incident occurred on Saturday in the 7900 block of Barncliff Court, Kannapolis, where officers responded to a physical disturbance. Deputies made contact with a man who said his friend, Bryan O’Neal ,and his girlfriend were arguing. He stepped in to calm O’Neal down when O’Neal shoved him down onto the porch, according to a department report.

When the man stood up, he said, O’Neal punched him in the face and then jumped into his girlfriend’s car. It appeared that he was leaving, the report said.

O’Neal’s girlfriend stood behind the car to prevent him from taking her vehicle and he backed up until he hit her with the car, the friend told deputies.

Deputies arrived, arrested O’Neal and found six hydrocodone pills on him upon searching him. The pills were in his right front pocket and stored in an unlabeled bottle.