BENSALEM TOWNSHIP, PA — The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office has ruled on the shooting of a man by a Bensalem police officer in a road rage incident last month.
Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said that the police officer was justified in shooting of John Thomas Mathis, 44, of Levittown, who pulled a handgun on a motorist during a road rage incident on Aug. 2.
Schorn decided after an investigation that 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, authorities said.
Based on the evidence, Schorn concluded the officer was reasonable in his belief that his life and the lives of passing motorists and civilians were placed in clear and present danger at the time of the shooting.
He was therefore justified in discharging his weapon and shooting Mathis. The incident began at about 5:43 p.m. when a motorist called 911 to report that Mathis had pointed a handgun at his face and threatened to rob him on Bristol Pike.
When the officer arrived, he positioned his patrol car to protect the victim. Witnesses reported hearing the officer issue verbal commands before they saw Mathis run from his motorcycle. When Mathis ran from his motorcycle, he had his gun in his hand, holding it in a reverse style grip aimed in the direction of the officer, authorities said.
The officer then fired three shots, striking Mathis, authorities said.
Multiple officers quickly arrived to render medical aid, and a black handgun was recovered at the scene. Mathis survived his injuries and was charged with several offenses, including the armed confrontation and the armed robbery of a cellphone store an hour earlier in Philadelphia.
At the time of the shooting, Mathis was already facing charges for a separate July 27 road rage incident in Bristol Township and numerous other outstanding court matters, for which bench warrants had been issued.
He has been remanded to Bucks County Correctional Facility, and his preliminary hearing is scheduled for next month.
The District Attorney’s Office 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.