Jan 16, 2015 2 min read

A Cokeburg man was arrested early Friday by North Strabane Township police after he was spotted assaulting his girlfriend in the parking lot of a McClelland Road gas station.

Joseph Anthony Shuba Jr., 31, of 14 Franklin St., was spotted by a Canonsburg police officer standing at the driver’s door of the car. Shuba’s girlfriend, Helen Banai, sat behind the wheel holding her arms up as she tried to block the strikes from him.

The same Canonsburg police officer had moments before witnessed an argument between two people, later identified as Shuba, Banai and Banai’s sister at Sheetz, Washington Road. The officer had been putting gasoline in his patrol car. He described Shuba as being intoxicated. The car with three people in it then left the parking lot.

A few minutes later, North Strabane police were dispatched to a domestic at the BP station, a short distance away. Since the Canonsburg officer was so close, he offered to assist.

Banai told police the two got into an argument while at the Sheetz. They had planned to go to an area hospital to visit a sick relative. She told police the argument got so bad, she had to pull over into the BP station lot.

Banai reportedly threw his cellphone out of the vehicle. He then grabbed the car keys and got out of the car, police said. Shuba reportedly grabbed Banai by the head, ripping her earrings from her ears. He then allegedly pinched and slapped her in the head and face.

Shuba told District Judge Jay Weller he was on probation stemming from a drunk driving arrest by state police last May.

He was admitted to the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program in August. Shuba was arraigned before Weller on charges of simple assault, public drunkenness and harassment. He was placed in Washington County jail on $5,000 bond.