A man was arrested for aggravated assault after police say a verbal altercation lead to gunfire in West Reading Tuesday afternoon.
Police were dispatched to the Buttonwood Street bridge Tuesday, June 7, around 1pm, for the report of a possible drive-by shooting which occurred on or near the bridge.
Reading Police and West Reading officers responded and found the victim, who they say identified the suspect of the shooting to be Noah Martinez.
According to a preliminary investigation by West Reading Police, Martinez and the victim entered into a verbal altercation at a business located in the 500 block of Penn Avenue. During the verbal altercation, the victim says Martinez lifted his shirt to show a handgun and threatened to kill him. The victim then left that business in his vehicle and Martinez followed the victim in his vehicle.
Police say Martinez continued to follow the victim’s vehicle to the Buttonwood Street Bridge where he pulled up next to the victim’s vehicle, pulled out the handgun and fired one shot from his vehicle toward the victim. The shot missed and the victim was able to get away and call police.
Martinez was later located by Shillington Police and Cumru Township Police still operating the vehicle described by the victim.
Following a traffic stop, Martinez was detained and a search of the vehicle yielded a loaded handgun, ammunition, a holster and a spent shell casing from inside the vehicle.
Martinez has been charged with Aggravated Assault, Simple Assault, and Recklessly Endangering Another Person.
