HICKORY — A Hickory police officer's bulletproof vest apparently saved his life after he was shot in the chest while serving a search warrant.

Police said uniformed officers and members of Hickory police's special operations team were serving a drug search warrant at the house on the city's east side Monday night when they were shot at. Authorities say the officers took cover and returned fire.

Officials said 40-year-old Michael Lee Watson was shot by police after they were fired upon. Watson was taken to Catawba Valley Medical Center for treatment.

Police arrested 21-year-old Kenneth Alexander Hewitt and charged him with four counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a government official. He's jailed under $500,000 bond. He has not been assigned an attorney.