He said the mother had arrived accompanied by her 17-year-old son and had demanded the keys back and told the boyfriend, aged 22,  "not to put his hands" on her daughter again. An argument then ensued with both the boyfriend and his brother, who police said they believe is age 16.

“All of a sudden, the boyfriend’s brother started attacking the son, punching him, and then the boyfriend started hitting her son,” Copeland said.

“She tried to break the fight up, got in the middle, and the boyfriend hit her," Copeland continued. "Then the boyfriend’s brother pulled out a silver handgun, handed it to the boyfriend who then pointed the gun at her and said he was going to kill her.”

The mother retreated to her car and grabbed a stick out of the truck to defend herself while the boyfriend repeatedly racked the slide back on the semi-automatic gun and kept threatening her, Copeland said. The boyfriend’s brother continued trying to fight her son, but Copeland said she finally pulled her son clear and when he “fell into the passenger seat of her car” she was able to drive away.

Copeland said Sunday that police are trying to find the boyfriend and his brother, who are being sought on preliminary unlawful use of weapons charges and will likely face additional counts. Preliminary charges are subject to review by the Macon County State’s Attorney’s Office.