Driver injures 3 after plowing through Clayton festival barricade

The driver, identified as Matthew Cecil Gilbert, of Raleigh, drove through the barricade on Fayetteville Street near the town square around 2 a.m., striking vendor tents, cooking equipment and people, police said. The people were participating in an overnight barbecue cooking contest.

Authorities said two people suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries, which included broken bones, and a third person was injured less seriously.

Gilbert was charged with simple possession of marijuana and paraphernalia and failure to reduce speed to avoid a collision, according to Clayton officials. Police said Gilbert was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash.