Police say a Boalsburg man was under the influence of alcohol when he discharged a shotgun inside his home and led officers on a brief chase before crashing his car late Friday night.
According to a criminal complaint, Stephen H. Matis, 23, fled at high speed in a Ford Mustang when State College police officers arrived just before midnight at the West Crestview Avenue residence for a report of a man shooting a gun inside. Matis allegedly traveled in the middle of both lanes and nearly struck three responding patrol cars during the 30-second pursuit.
Matis then failed to navigate a turn, jumped a rock wall and row of trees and landed on a two-axle trailer in an unrelated individual’s yard, police wrote. He was taken to Mount Nittany Medical Center to be evaluated for minor injuries sustained in the crash.
Police later found a hole in the wall of Matis’s room and other rooms in the residence, along with a spent shell casing from a 16-gauge shotgun shell, according to the complaint. The shot traveled in the direction of another bedroom that was occupied by other residents at the time, police wrote. Matis, who police said showed signs of intoxication, allegedly admitted that he was under the influence while “cleaning and messing with” the shotgun and that it had “gone off.” He also said he left the residence to remove firearms when he discovered that police were responding, according to the complaint.
A search of the car found a 16-gauge shotgun, two small jars containing marijuana and drug paraphernalia, police wrote.
Matis was charged with felony counts of discharging a firearm into an occupied structure and fleeing an officer, misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person, possession of a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, DUI and summary counts of reckless driving and speeding.
He was arraigned by District Judge Donald Hahn and is being held at the Centre County Correctional Facility, with bail set at 1% of $43,000.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 14.
