Driver to Beaufort County Sheriff’s deputy: Bullet holes? What bullet holes?

A driver changing a flat tire on the side of U.S. 278 in Bluffton near the bridges to Hilton Head Island on Saturday was surprised to learn he had another problem with his car: bullet holes.

A Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office deputy pulled over to assist the man and “observed what appeared to be three bullet holes on the back left corner panel of the vehicle, one bullet hole in the driver’s side door, and one bullet hole in the hood,” according to a police report released Monday.

When informed of the unusual damage to his car, the man replied, “What bullet holes?” the report said.

The deputy asked the man whether “he had any weapons in the vehicle” and the man responded that “he has a concealed weapons permit and was armed,” according to the report.

The man told the deputy that he “had a pistol in his front right pocket and a AR-15 (rifle) in the trunk” of his vehicle.

Despite the presence of guns — which were determined to be legal — the man told the deputy “he did not believe the holes ... were bullet holes, and he had no idea what they were or when they got there.”

This story was originally published February 27, 2017 at 3:56 PM with the headline "Driver to Beaufort County Sheriff’s deputy: Bullet holes? What bullet holes?."