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Maskless Man Charged in Police Shootout Was ‘Just Not Handling the Pandemic Well,’ Attorney Says

 

A Pennsylvania man has been charged in a series of alleged wrongdoings, ending in a shootout with cops. Assuming he did it, what was going through his mind? How do things escalate from refusing to wear a mask on Friday to pulling an AK-47 on the police on Saturday? His lawyer says he’s been having a really tough time lately.

“He just wasn’t dealing well with the loss of his job, the loss of his child, just not handling the pandemic well,” lawyer John Waldron said about client Adam Zaborowski, according to Lehigh Valley Live. “I think he was getting stretched too tight.”

He said he represented Zaborowski before.

“I know his dad,” he said. “I know his mom. I know Adam. From what I hear with these allegations, this is not his typical behavior pattern.”

Things started Friday, authorities say. Zaborowski allegedly stepped into Cigars Intentional in Bethlehem Township and refused to put on a mask. The defendant ran off with two cigars, police said, without paying. Clerks chased him, but he pulled out a handgun and fired a shot in the air, according to the official account.

Video of the incident was released. That is supposed to be Zaborowski on the left firing a gun:

The next day, at 9:35 p.m., cops were stationed outside the suspect’s home while waiting for an arrest warrant, but he drove off in his truck. Police said they stopped him, but he stepped out of the vehicle and opened fire on them with a semiautomatic rifle. That weapon was identified as an AK-47. An officer from Slatington Borough Police Department received what was described as a minor wound.

The defendant sustained gunshot wounds to his leg and buttock. Zaborowski is charged with attempted homicide, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of robbery, two counts of reckless endangerment, and two gun offenses.

[Screengrab via CBS Philly]

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