Mercer Man Sought For Firing Shots Outside PA Bar After Smoking Spat

EWING, NJ — Police in Pennsylvania are seeking a Mercer County man, after they say he threatened to kill a bar manager who told one of his companions to stop smoking, and then fired gunshots outside the establishment.

The Falls Township Police Department has issued a warrant for Leon M. Corbin, 47, of Ewing, for the Oct. 13 incident. According to police, Corbin fired shots in the parking lot of the Red Raven Bar after arguing with the general manager.

He has been charged with making terroristic threats, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, having a firearm without a license, and not being allowed to carry a firearm.

Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is asked, if appropriate, to call 911, or the non-emergency number at 215-328-8501, or contact the assigned investigator Detective David Gold, at d.gold@fallstwppd.com, or anonymously at tiplines@fallstwppd.com.

According to the affidavit filed with Corbin's arrest, police were called to the bar at 250 Lincoln Hwy. due to an incident involving a man who had fired a gun into the air in the parking lot.

Detective David Gold said he met with a police officer who stated that those involved had left the area before police arrival. There were no reported injuries and no sign of any bullet holes in the building. The general manager/bouncer, Charles Flemming —who goes by the nickname "Buddy" —found five spent shell casings in the parking lot. Police secured them in an envelope.

Gold spoke with Flemming and bartender Victoria Irwin who said that four people entered the bar together with one man later identified as Corbin, and they sat together at a corner of the bar located near the door. After they had been there for about 10-15 minutes, all four of them lit cigarettes.

Flemming informed them that there is no smoking inside the business, so the four went outside to finish their cigarettes. Later, one man lit another cigarette inside the bar.

Flemming said the man did not speak English, so he said, "No fumar" to him, which is "No smoking" in Spanish.

At that point, Corbin became upset and felt that Flemming was being disrespectful towards his friend, police said.

Flemming told police that he did his best to defuse the situation, but Corbin became increasingly aggressive. Eventually, Flemming escorted Corbin out of the bar.

Two other men also walked outside, where Corbin reportedly made threats that he was going to shoot Flemming and was reaching towards the area of his waistband. Flemming told police that he went back inside the bar, and then heard the gun shots in the parking lot.

Gold interviewed Red Raven owner Richard Bodine II and his wife, who showed police video surveillance of the incident.

Gold observed Corbin removing a handgun from his pocket or waistband, and then firing six shots into the air. Gold found the sixth spent shell casing.

The four men later drove off from the bar.

In a review of his file, police discovered that Corbin has been arrested nine times in New Jersey, the most recent of which was in May 2017.

Patch's Dino Ciliberti contributed to this report.