A Pennsylvania resident recently reported to police that he had been assaulted and carjacked. The 33-year-old man reported that three bearded males approached him in the South side of Easton. One of the males was allegedly armed with a gun. The police were able to recover the vehicle that had reportedly been carjacked. A loaded handgun was discovered in the vehicle while the police were searching for evidence of the crime.
Things took a turn when police questioned the man who had reported the carjacking about the gun and he admitted that it was his. The alleged victim of the carjacking is a convicted felon and the handgun has been reported stolen. The man was arrested and arraigned in Northampton County Prison. He is facing gun charges and a charge for receiving stolen property.
Police are unsure whether or not the man was really assaulted and carjacked, but if the allegations are true the alleged carjackers will likely face criminal charges of their own. When someone possesses a weapon during the commission of a felony, that action will often aggravate the charge. The use of a deadly weapon during an assault, for example, is considered aggravated assault. It does not matter whether or not the person committing the assault actually causes an injury with the weapon.
A weapon is classified as a deadly weapon if it could cause death or serious injury. Guns are typically considered deadly weapons. Sometimes whether or not a weapon is a deadly weapon depends on how it is used. A pocketknife, for example, is not usually a deadly weapon, but it could be deadly if held to someone’s neck.
Source: WFMZ, “William Hightower faces weapons charges in Easton,” Randy Kraft, June 14, 2013
