A Levittown man shot by a police officer during a weekend incident has been released from the hospital and is being held in the Bucks County Correctional Facility for a separate road rage incident.
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John Thomas Mathis, 44, was preliminarily arraigned before District Judge Terry Hughes on Wednesday afternoon on charges stemming from a July 27 road rage incident in Bristol Township.
The Bristol Township incident involved crashes and a baseball bat being used to smash a car’s windshield, the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
Mathis was remanded to the Bucks County Correctional Facility with bail set at 10 percent of $1 million by Hughes.
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The 44-year-old man has not yet been charged in relation to the incident that led to him being shot over the weekend.
The district attorney’s office said the Bensalem Township incident began at approximately 5:43 p.m. last Saturday when an officer was dispatched to an armed confrontation involving a motorcyclist. A man reported that a motorcyclist, who was later identified as Mathis, had engaged in a series of aggressive driving maneuvers and pointed a handgun at his face before threatening to rob him.
The victim drove away and called 9-1-1, stating that Mathis was following him, officials said.
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An officer stopped his patrol vehicle between the victim’s car and Mathis’ motorcycle at Route 13 and Appleton Avenue in Bensalem Township.
The district attorney’s office said the male and female victims in the car reported hearing the officer issue verbal commands before they saw Mathis run away from his motorcycle. The victims then heard three gunshots and saw Mathis fall to the ground, police said.
A number of officers rushed to the scene and began giving life-saving care to Mathis, officials said.
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Mathis sustained two gunshot wounds to his left shoulder blade area and one to his right armpit area.
The officer who fired the shots has been placed on administrative leave, as is the policy of the Bensalem Township Police Department, authorities said.
In a press release, prosecutors noted that Mathis has a history of aggressive behavior and numerous open criminal cases in Bucks County, including aggravated assault while driving under the influence, receiving stolen property and fleeing from police.
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Mathis also had outstanding bench warrants for his arrest.
Credit: Submitted
According to the district attorney’s office, Mathis was placed on pretrial supervision with a GPS monitor in May, despite the district attorney office’s objections.
Prosecutors said Mathis repeatedly violated his release conditions and cut off his monitor, leading to the revocation of his bail and the issuance of new warrants.
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Bucks County Detectives are investigating the shooting, and District Attorney Jennifer Schorn will determine whether the shooting was justified.
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.
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