Apr 25, 2017 2 min read

Three men were charged Tuesday by McDonald police in connection with an altercation in Robinson Township and a report of a shot being fired.

Riley Lovell, 22, of 488 Valley St., McDonald, is charged with simple assault, reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct after allegedly firing a shot from his handgun into the ground. Anthony Heltenschuller, 20, of Spring Street, Robinson, and Brian Mangas, 43, of Joffre-Cherry Valley Road, Smith Township, were charged with disorderly conduct.

Officer Bradley Resnik said police were called April 10 to 2003 Spring St. for a report of a fight and a gunshot fired. When police arrived, they learned the two men, later identified as Mangas and Heltenschuller, involved in the altercation had fled. Mangas was found lying in the weeds. Hertenschuller later returned to the residence.

Resnik said Mangas and Heltenschuller had been arguing over the younger man’s friend when the confrontation reportedly turned physical and spilled onto Lovell’s property. Lovell told police he was sleeping on his couch when Heltenschuller started beating on his door, claiming Mangas was beating Heltenschuller’s mother with a brick.

Lovell tried to break up the fight, Resnik said.

“When that didn’t work, he retrieved his handgun and discharged a round into the ground,” Resnik said. “That ultimately stopped the fight.”

“During the time, there were a lot of people milling about watching the fight,” Resnik added, explaining there are many homes close together in the area where the shot was fired. “A road construction crew were only 15 to 20 yards away. When they heard the shot, they ran.”

Lovell showed police where he fired the shot and determined it was about five yards from where the two men had been fighting.

Police confiscated the gun and Lovell’s gun permit. Mangas and Heltenschuller declined to press charges against each other for the altercation, Resnik said.

The charges will be sent by summons from the office of District Judge Traci McDonald.