Following Domestic, Man Arrested with Shotgun, Cops Say

A man was arrested early Friday morning after he allegedly caused damage to property and then began pacing outside with a shotgun creating fear among his family members  after a night of drinking.

Police first responded to Nightingale Lane in the Levittown section of Falls Township and found Joseph Taylor, 24, was causing a problem outside the apartment where he lives with his girlfriend, her 5-year-old child and her 12-year-old brother.

Taylor came home drunk and began throwing things around and then argued with his girlfriend, police said. He then reportedly got in to  a fight with a friend who tried to break the argument up.

Outside the apartment, Taylor punched his girlfriend’s 1996 Ford Taurus and the window on a nearby house, according to court papers. The car suffered damage to the hood and doors, police said.

Officers responded at 3:29 a.m. and planned to charge Taylor with disorderly conduct at a later time because he ended up locking himself in the apartment. His girlfriend said she was taking the kids and staying at her parents for the night, court paper say.

Police then left the scene.

Around 4:30 a.m., police were called back to the scene for reports that Taylor, who was wearing sunglasses, was seen walking back and forth in the back yard with a gun. According to police, his girlfriend’s mother spotted Taylor carrying a gun and had several minors and Taylor’s girlfriend go inside and lay on the bedroom floor for safety.

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Taylor’s girlfriend’s father, who is licensed to carry a firearm, arrived with his gun drawn and advised Taylor police were responding, according to court paper. He heard Taylor leave the area and awaiting officers.

Several Falls officers arrived and took “tactical locations.” Officer Nicolas Pinto wrote in court papers that officers heard a “sound consistent with the racking of a shotgun.”

Taylor was taken into custody on the apartment porch without incident, police said. Court papers say he was found with a 12 gauge loaded shotgun nearby.

The warranted search of the apartment revealed two loaded long guns in the living room and an unloaded shotgun in a bedroom, court papers say. The document added two  boxes of ammunition were found next to the gun in the bedroom.

Taylor’s girlfriend said the guns were out when she left the apartment earlier in the morning, according to police. She added the guns are usually kept in a safe.

The 24-year-old is charged with attempted aggravated assault, simple assault, possession of an instrument of crime, public drunkenness and related offenses. Taylor was arraigned and posted 10 percent of $75,000 bail.

Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.