A man who was shot and injured by police in Bensalem after attempting to flee a road rage altercation has been identified as a "habitual offender," according to officials. The man, 44-year-old John Mathis, reportedly has a lengthy criminal history involving burglary, theft, assault, and prior road rage incidents.
Mathis was previously arrested for an incident on July 27, in Bristol Borough, where he allegedly struck two vehicles intentionally, brandished a baseball bat to damage a car, and subsequently fled the scene—he had at least two warrants for his arrest at the time of the shooting incident, one of which was for the said road rage incident in Bristol Borough, NBC Philadelphia reports. His lengthy criminal interactions with law enforcement span over the past 20 years, and he had been granted conditional release which included GPS monitoring in May, however, this release was violated when he cut off his GPS monitor.
During the recent incident on August 2, near Woodhaven Road and Route 13, Mathis, on a motorcycle, was said to have threatened another driver with a gun according to the victims, prompting them to call 911 with the situation escalating to the point where police felt compelled to use lethal force. "Just imagine if you're driving with your family in your car, and some guy pulls up on a motorcycle and points a gun at your head," William McVey, Director of Public Safety, told Action News.
The encounter led a veteran officer to open fire on Mathis after he reportedly slammed into the side of a police cruiser and fled on foot, ignoring commands from the officers present; Mathis was found to be armed with a handgun at the time. The Bucks County District Attorney's Office is overseeing the investigation, and while Mathis remains hospitalized from gunshot wounds, he is expected to face unspecified felony charges as reported by phillyburbs.com.
No other injuries were reported from the incident, and the ongoing investigation by the authorities will determine the next course of legal action for Mathis, who, according to statements by officials, has continuously victimized residents of Bucks County. The authorities also confirmed that a black handgun was recovered at the scene after the altercation that resulted in Mathis's shooting by the responding Bensalem police.
