BENSALEM TWP., Pa. – Police in Bucks County say a Bensalem Township police officer was justified in the shooting of a man they say pulled a handgun on a motorist during a road rage incident on Aug. 2.
Based on the evidence, District Attorney Jennifer Schorn concluded the officer was reasonable in his belief that his life and the lives of passing drivers and civilians were placed in clear and present danger at the time of the shooting, according to a news release from the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office.
He was therefore justified in discharging his weapon and shooting the man, identified as 44-year-old John Thomas Mathis of Levittown, according to the news release.
The DA’s office says the investigation of the incident included a review of police and witness statements, police radio transmissions, body-worn camera footage, and surveillance video from nearby businesses.
The officer’s name is being withheld in accordance with office protocol, the DA’s office said.
The incident began at approximately 5:43 p.m. when a driver called 911 to report that Mathis had pointed a handgun at his face and threatened to rob him on Bristol Pike, according to the DA’s office.
When the officer arrived, he positioned his patrol car to protect the victim, the DA’s office said in its news release.
According to the DA’s office, witnesses reported hearing the officer give verbal commands before they saw Mathis run from his motorcycle.
When Mathis ran from his motorcycle, he had his gun in his hand, aimed in the officer’s direction, according to the DA’s office.
The officer then fired three shots, hitting Mathis, according to the news release.
The DA’s office said multiple officers quickly arrived to give Mathis medical aid, and a black handgun was recovered at the scene.
Mathis survived his injuries and was charged with several offenses, including the Aug. 2 armed confrontation and the armed robbery of a cellphone store that occurred an hour earlier in Philadelphia, the DA’s office said in its news release.
At the time of the shooting, Mathis was already facing charges for a separate July 27 road rage incident in Bristol Township and other court matters, the DA’s office said.
He was taken to Bucks County Correctional Facility, and his preliminary hearing is scheduled for next month.
The DA’s office said it follows a standard procedure to investigate and determine whether the use of deadly force was justified whenever a shooting involves law enforcement in Bucks County.
The Bensalem officer also acted within the permissible scope of the Bensalem Township Police use-of-force requirements and the use-of-force best practices guidelines adopted by all Bucks County police departments, the DA’s office said.