An 18-year-old guy from Warren County, New Jersey, is being held on suspicion of shooting two people in a Bethlehem restaurant earlier this month.
On Tuesday, Ashton J. Thomas, who lives in Stewartsville on the 300 block of Prospect Street, was charged with two counts of attempted homicide.
Because of the seriousness of the accusations, District Judge Jordan Knisley rejected bail and ordered him to Northampton County Prison.
regarding 12:12 a.m. on Friday, August 8, Bethlehem police said they received a complaint regarding gunfire inside Sizzling Bites, located at 312 E. Third St. on Southside.
According to court documents, officers discovered one victim seated outside, bleeding from gunshot wounds to his right hand and right upper thigh. He was brought to a nearby medical facility. Another female victim who was transported to the hospital by friends to receive treatment for several gunshot wounds was also reported to the police.
According to court documents, investigators looked at video footage that the restaurant’s owner had given them, which showed around 30 customers there and roughly eight persons in the direct line of fire.
According to authorities, the gunman—later identified as Thomas—was joined by two other people. According to police documents describing probable cause to arrest Thomas, the video demonstrates that the male shooting victim had slapped one of the individuals with Thomas, resulting in a physical argument.
At that moment, Thomas allegedly took a pistol out of his right pocket and fired five close-range shots toward the two victims.
According to authorities, Thomas and his two companions quickly left through the front door after the gunfire and made their getaway on foot.
Five spent.45-caliber shell casings, one complete bullet, and four projectiles were found at the scene, according to investigators.
According to court documents, further camera footage from surrounding businesses shows Thomas getting into a black Hyundai with a visible New Jersey license plate.
According to court documents, a Phillipsburg officer who was called by Bethlehem police helped identify Thomas and his two associates. The sole person charged in connection with Tuesday’s event was Thomas.
Eight counts of reckless endangerment, four counts of aggravated assault, two counts of simple assault, two counts of attempted homicide, and one count of carrying a firearm without a license are among the charges against him.
In order to ascertain if there is enough evidence to proceed with the charges in the Northampton Court of Common Pleas to trial, Knisley provisionally set a preliminary hearing for September 2.
A call seeking comment on Thomas’s behalf on Tuesday was not immediately answered by his lawyer, Gail Marr.
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You can contact Kurt Bresswein at [email protected].
