LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — A Lancaster County man is facing charges after State Police say he threw a pipe bomb onto his neighbor's property and later kicked a trooper in the groin when authorities arrived to arrest him.
David A. Kritzberger, 52, of Paradise Township, is charged with possession of weapons of mass destruction, aggravated assault, risking catastrophe, issuing a bomb threat, recklessly endangering another person, harassment, and terroristic threats, according to a criminal complaint affidavit filed by State Police.
The alleged incident occurred around 7:58 p.m. Monday on Rock Ridge Road, police say. Kritzberger's neighbor called to report he had thrown an explosive device on the neighbor's property.
As police were en route, dispatch received a second call from an unidentified man who said he wanted to kill himself and reported he had a bomb, the complaint states.
When police arrived, Kritzberger was found in front of his home, yelling incoherently. He allegedly went back inside the house as troopers arrived.
Kritzberger then exited the home and approached police in an aggressive manner, police claim in the complaint.
Troopers used a Taser on Kritzberger in an attempt to subdue him after he refused to respond to police commands, the complaint states. Kritzberger also allegedly kicked a trooper in the groin two times as he was taken into custody.
Investigators found the remnants of a pipe bomb on the property. A neighbor later told troopers that Kritzberger was acting erratically and threatened to blow himself up earlier in the day, the complaint states.
The neighbor said Kritzberger later came out of his house holding a object that was emitting sparks and threw it at the neighbor's garage, according to the complaint.
Police say they found an open, nearly empty bottle of heavy magnum rifle powder on the living room floor of Kritzberger's home, and gunpowder was observed spilled across the floor and hallway around the house.
Kritzberger is currently awaiting a preliminary arraignment, according to court records.
