Armstrong County man accused of firing up to 11 shots at couple

Bullets “ricocheted and sparked off the pavement” when an Armstrong County man fired up to 11 shots at a couple after he argued with them Wednesday night, but no one was hurt, according to state police.

Anthony Kyle Long, 30, of East Franklin, faces nine charges in connection with the incident, including aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and public drunkenness, court records show.

State police said Long argued with a 34-year-old man and 31-year-old woman near his Miner Street home around 11 p.m. The alleged victims told troopers Long got a handgun from inside his residence and fired five to 10 shots at the street in their direction, according to a criminal complaint.

The couple fled in an SUV and Long fired at least one more shot that struck the vehicle’s bumper, the complaint said.

Police later found Long hiding in his backyard; he surrendered to police without further incident.

Things were tense at first because responding officers didn’t know that, by then, Long had given the 9 mm pistol to a relative and he was unarmed, Trooper Anthony Vaccaro said.

Long was arraigned early Thursday and taken to Armstrong County Jail in Kittanning after failing to post $25,000 bond, records showed.