LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — Authorities arrested a Lititz man Wednesday after he allegedly threatened to cause extensive damage to an apartment building in Elizabethtown.
Police were called to the Savoy Shoe Factory Apartments on West High Street around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday for a report of an individual threatening harm against himself and others, according to a news release.
Upon arrival, police said 30-year-old Justin Getz claimed to have an assault-style rifle, makeshift flammable explosives, bladed weapons and the ability to cause damage to the building using propane, the news release stated.
As police attempted to convince Getz to come outside, he allegedly made comments to further the concern of danger for nearby residents and officers.
Police then evacuated as much of the building as possible — the news release noted that officers requested other residents to secure themselves in the lowest area available in their home if the risk to evacuate was greater than staying in place.
The Lancaster County SERT Team took Getz into custody around 4:30 a.m., after police took the precautionary measures to reduce the danger to those remaining inside the building, the news release said.
Further investigation revealed that Getz was involved in a domestic disturbance situation prior to the police presence, according to the news release. The two individuals involved in that incident left prior to the threats.
Getz faces charges of strangulation, threats to use a weapon of mass destruction, terroristic threats causing evacuation, endangering the welfare of children, causing or risking catastrophe and false imprisonment.
