Bristol Man Shot By Officer, Arrested For Assault

BRISTOL TOWNSHIP, PA — A Bristol man who police say aimed a rifle at officers after firing it in their direction was shot, then arrested, according to court documents.

Details about the September incident became public this week as the documents became publicly available. Stephen Schwartz, 34, of Grand Pine Road, has been charged with aggravated assault, terroristic threats, possession of an instrument of crime and other offenses, according to court records.

According to a criminal complaint filed Thursday, police were called on Saturday, Sept. 22, to Schwartz's home, where the caller said he had shot himself in the foot. The caller said Schwartz was having a manic episode and warned that he likely would be violent when they arrived.

Officers from Bristol Township and Tullytown Borough were in the home's backyard when they say Schwartz came outside with a rifle. He pointed the rifle at the officers and Sgt. Phillip Kulan, of Tullytown Borough, shot Schwartz, police said.

Schwartz ignored repeated orders from officers to drop the rifle, according to the complaint.

Police say they later interviewed a family member who said she returned home from work to find the Schwartz's children in the front yard, saying that he was in the back with a .22-caliber rifle. She told them that Schwartz later told her he had accidentally shot himself in the calf.

Bail for Schwartz was set at $50,000 in the case.

Photo courtesy Bucks County District Attorney's office