DUBOIS – A DuBois man accused of assaulting and robbing a man after stopping his car was scheduled for a preliminary hearing Friday during centralized court in DuBois.
David Joseph Smith, 21, who is charged with robbery, theft by unlawful taking, two counts of simple assault and harassment, had all charges held to court after the hearing before District Judge David Meholick.
His bail was set at $50,000.
The charges stem from an incident on Oct. 29 at 12:15 p.m. on Dutch Road in Brady Township.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, the victim told police he was traveling west on Dutch Road, returning to his residence. Just prior to reaching Smith’s driveway, he saw Smith step out into the middle of the road, which made him unable to drive around him.
Smith then allegedly approached the driver’s door of his vehicle and opened the door. He then “tackled the victim to the ground, punched him in the head and forcefully ripped his black iPhone” out of his hand.
Next, Smith reportedly threw the phone to the ground and shot several rounds at it with a black semi-automatic pistol.
A witness told authorities she heard four gunshots at the time the incident was said to occur.
Police noted in the criminal complaint that the victim had injuries to his head and it was bleeding.
When police tried to make contact with Smith, he was not at his residence. They spotted three empty brass shell casings along the road at the entrance of his driveway and another empty casing in the grass just off the road.
Police were able to speak with Smith’s father who stated he had just “kicked” Smith out of the residence the previous night due to him continuously “causing issues with the neighbors.” He confirmed Smith has a black semi-automatic pistol.