Lower Burrell police charge man with strangulation after woman turns over video of altercation

Lower Burrell police accused a man of strangling a woman during an argument inside a toy store on Leechburg Road after she showed them a video recording of the incident.

Jaison Lacava, 39, of the 600 block of Riverside Drive in Freeport was charged with a felony count of strangulation along with counts of simple assault, making terroristic threats, and harassment.

He was released from Westmoreland County jail after posting 10% of a $10,000 bond. He faces a preliminary hearing Jan. 31 before District Judge Cheryl Peck Yakopec, according to court records.

Police wrote in a criminal complaint charging Lacava that, shortly after 6 p.m. Nov. 8, they responded to a call for a domestic incident at Glen’s Custard.

An employee told police that she saw a woman running across the street from the Fidget Tree and into the ice cream shop’s bathroom.

The woman told police that, while she and Lacava were in the toy store, they got into a heated argument and she left so it would not escalate, according to the complaint.

She told them that it was not a physical altercation and she only wanted him to stay away from her for the remainder of the evening, the complaint said.

While police were speaking to the woman, Lacava came across the street from the toy store and told them they began arguing after he got a text message from a friend and she accused him of it coming from another woman, the complaint said.

He told police he grabbed her by the shoulder during the dispute but did nothing else to hurt her, the complaint said. Officers remained on the scene until Lacava drove off, police said.

Shortly after 8 p.m., the woman went to the Lower Burrell police station and told police she initially was reluctant to tell them about the incident because she was afraid, but she wanted to file criminal charges against Lacava, according to the complaint.

The woman showed police video recorded on her phone while she and Lacava were inside the store, police said.

She told police Lacava was being “secretive” with his phone that night and became upset when she accused him of acting “shady,” the complaint said.

Police said the video shows Lacava grab the woman by the upper arm and then do a leg sweep to knock her to the ground.

A short time later in the video, the woman is seen walking behind Lacava while they argue before he “spins around” and tries to kick her legs out from under her, the complaint said.

Police said the video shows Lacava grabbing the woman by the neck with his right hand and pushing her against the wall before they both fell to the ground.

The woman told police she was unable to breathe “for a considerable amount of time.” She said Lacava punched her in the body several times while they were on the ground and threatened to kill her, the complaint said.

The video then shows the woman grabbing her purse and running from the store to the ice cream shop, the complaint said.

Police said the woman complained of throat pain and that she still had red marks on her neck.

In addition to the video, the woman gave investigators a written statement detailing the incident, the complaint said.