A man shot a pellet gun at police in East Stroudsburg. They didn't fire back.
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Read the latest: SARPD police chief on why her officers didn't shoot back
A man aimed what appeared to be a black hand gun at police and pulled the trigger. The bullets were plastic; it was an airsoft gun. Responding officers knew the difference and didn't fire back.
Stroud Area Regional Police officers arrested Daniel Koltun, who is white, with the help of a police dog Wednesday afternoon after he allegedly threatened officers verbally and with the gun. Officer Brandon Bingler distinguished the sound of the gun's CO2 cartridges from that of real gunfire, according to the arrest report.
It's the latest in a string of incidents involving ultra-realistic pellet guns and toy weapons across the Poconos. SARPD arrested a 14-year-old boy who brought a toy gun to Stroudsburg High School in July. In December, Pennsylvania State Police shot and killed 19-year-old Christian Hall, who is Asian, following a standoff in which he held a realistic-looking pellet gun.
Encounters like these have led to the fatal shooting of at least 248 people since 2015, according to a Washington Post database of police shootings nationwide.
Related: Mental health calls are common for police in the Poconos. Is there a better way to respond?
Wednesday's incident began at the corner of Brown Street and Lincoln Avenue in East Stroudsburg around 4:45 p.m. Police said Koltun, 42, of New Jersey, approached drivers with a baseball bat and frying pan in hand and asked for a ride. Soliciting rides is a summary offence in Pennsylvania.
Bingler arrived, and Koltun pointed his frying pan toward the officer and threatened to "f--- him up," according to police. He said it again to Anthony Carfi, the second SARPD officer to arrive.
Koltun was "belligerent, uncooperative and threatened physical violence," said police chief Jen Lyon. He began walking south on Lincoln Avenue towards the Walmart parking lot in East Stroudsburg, all the while ignoring commands from Bingler and Carfi to stop walking.
More police arrived, and Koltun maneuvered between parked cars to avoid them. Bingler moved Koltun's possessions, a hand truck and generator he had set down in the parking lot, and the man yelled: "Don't touch my stuff."
He pulled the airsoft gun from his waistband and began firing toward officers. Bingler recognized what it was "immediately," Lyon said. Officers shouted at Koltun to stop firing and drop the gun — he was under arrest, they said, and they'd deploy a police dog if he didn't stop.
He didn't stop, and a police dog named Bendix bit him in the upper right arm. Police said the man punched Bendix in the head and torso before they finally took him into custody. He had a knife, police found.
He faces eight felony charges, which include seven counts of aggravated assault to officers and Bendix; four misdemeanors related to resisting arrest and terroristic threats; and two summary offenses for disorderly conduct and soliciting rides. He remains in the Monroe County jail in lieu of $10,000 bail.
Hannah Phillips is the public safety reporter at Pocono Record. Reach her at hphillips@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Stroud Area Regional Police arrest man who shot them with airsoft gun
