Federal prosecutors say a botched effort to hijack a tractor-trailer on Interstate 95 in North Carolina temporarily blocked part of the major East Coast highway.

U.S. Justice Department prosecutors in Raleigh are charging Raymond Lee Bryant Jr. of Roseboro with carjacking and using a firearm during a series of attempted armed robberies Thursday on I-95 in Dunn.

Prosecutors contend Bryant pointed a gun and fired a shot to force a driver and passenger out of one truck. But he jack-knifed the truck while backing up to make his getaway, blocking I-95's northbound lanes.

Officials say Bryant tried to strong-arm another semi-truck, but the driver bailed out as the gunman approached. Bryant then confronted the two occupants of a third vehicle, and he sped from Harnett County.

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