A 69-year-old man is facing charges after police say he stole protest signs from an Interstate 78 overpass in South Whitehall Township and then pulled a handgun from his waistband when a protester snatched one of the signs back from his car. George M. Kammerer is charged with simple assault, disorderly conduct and theft by unlawful taking or disposition following the confrontation, which unfolded in broad daylight along a stretch of the highway.
According to mcall.com, the incident occurred just before 3 p.m. Tuesday in the area of South Hillview Road and Crest View Drive, where South Whitehall Township police officers responded shortly after 3 p.m. Witnesses told police that Kammerer removed signs that protesters had attached to the chain-link fence on the overpass and carried them to his car, according to WFMZ.com.
Confrontation Escalates After Sign Is Retrieved
Once Kammerer reached his vehicle and put the signs inside, the situation reportedly turned dangerous. Witnesses said that after a protester took one of the signs back from the front seat of Kammerer's car, he drew a black handgun from his waistband, per the same account. He then drove off with the remaining stolen signs still in his possession.
Court documents reviewed by WFMZ.com indicate Kammerer pulled the gun after a person removed a sign from the front seat of his vehicle, and that he later told police he feared the group that had followed him to his car. Kammerer did not stay at the scene, but he came to the South Whitehall police station late Tuesday and gave a statement, the station's report notes.
Suspect Admits Taking Signs, Cites Flag Dispute
In that statement, Kammerer admitted stealing the signs, telling police he was “disgusted” because they were covering an American flag, per court documents cited by mcall.com. He claimed that he drew his gun in self-defense, telling police he pulled the weapon because he feared the group that had confronted him.
Authorities said Kammerer allowed police to recover the handgun from his vehicle's glove compartment, and he admitted the weapon was the one he used during the encounter. Police searched Kammerer's car and found the gun, confirming the account given in his statement.
Charges and Next Steps in the Case
Kammerer was arraigned before District Justice Rashid Santiago and released without bail pending a preliminary hearing, according to mcall.com. Under Pennsylvania law, theft by unlawful taking or disposition applies when a person unlawfully takes or exercises unlawful control over another person's movable property with intent to deprive that person of it, per the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
The disorderly conduct charge stems from a statute covering threatening or violent behavior intended to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, or recklessly creating a risk of that result, according to the Pennsylvania General Assembly. That same statute specifies that highways and transportation facilities fall within its definition of public places, and the offense can rise to a third-degree misdemeanor depending on the intent involved.
No details on the exact factual basis for the simple assault charge have been made public, and it remains unclear when Kammerer's preliminary hearing will take place.
