ALLENTOWN, Pa. – A security guard is facing charges after police say he hit a man in the face with a gun near an Allentown bar, causing it to discharge.
Bilal Jones, 36, of Allentown, is charged with aggravated assault, persons not to possess, use, manufacture, control, sell, or transfer firearms, firearms not to be carried without a license, and recklessly endangering another person, according to court paperwork.
Officers responded to East Siders Bar & Grill on Union Boulevard just before 11 p.m. on April 14 for the report of a disturbance and shots fired, an affidavit of probable cause said.
A fight that broke out between Jones, who is a security guard, and another man outside the bar’s front door spilled out onto Union Boulevard near Van Buren Street, according to court documents.
Court paperwork says a witness captured the fight on cell phone video. The victim is seen walking towards the sidewalk when a voice can be heard on the video saying, “he has a gun,” according to court documents.
The video showed Jones walking up behind the other man, then swinging his right arm towards the other man’s head, authorities said.
When Jones hit the victim’s head with the gun, it discharged, according to court paperwork.
Jones fled the scene but was later arrested and arraigned, authorities said.
The victim was injured and taken to the hospital.
Jones faces a preliminary hearing Thursday. He was unable to post bail and is in Lehigh County Jail, court documents say.