AHOSKIE – A quiet afternoon of cooking out on the grill turned violent here Saturday.

Two Ahoskie men will make their first court appearances today (Tuesday) following their arrests on assault charges.

Thomas Earl Futrell, 56, and Larry Ramsey, 50, were arrested after they allegedly assaulted each other shortly before 4 p.m. on Saturday. Both men reside at the same apartment complex on West Hayes Street.

According to Ahoskie Police Chief Troy Fitzhugh, the two men were outside of the apartments where they were barbecuing chickens on a grill.

“Apparently, the two men got into some sort of argument and the incident escalated from that point into one where each man assaulted the other,” Fitzhugh said.

The police report revealed that Futrell first assaulted Ramsey, striking him in the arm with a cooking utensil. Fitzhugh said Ramsey then walked away, returning with a blunt object that he used to allegedly strike Futrell in the head.

Both men were transported to Roanoke-Chowan Hospital from where Ramsey was treated and released.

However, Futrell’s injuries were more of a serious nature, but not life-threatening. Due to the blow to the head, Futrell was airlifted to Pitt Memorial Hospital in Greenville from where he was later released.

Ramsey was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, inflicting serious injury. He was taken to the Hertford County Jail under a $10,000 secured bond.

Futrell’s bond was set at $15,000 after he was charged on Sunday with assault with a deadly weapon, inflicting serious injury.

Chief Fitzhugh praised the work of APD Detective Sgt. Jeremy Roberts who collected evidence at the scene. He also thanked the quick response of the Hertford County Sheriff’s Office, the local rescue squad and EastCare.