Police: Mahanoy man claimed he’s God, tried to swipe TASER device
PHOTO COURTESY / MAHANOY CITY POLICE - Brendon Hasara.
MAHANOY CITY – A Mahanoy man is facing charges after he tried to swipe an officer’s TASER device after claiming he was God and that a robot was out to kill him Thursday night.
Brendon J. Hasara, 49, of Mahanoy City, is facing a felony charge for disarming a law enforcement officer, as well as misdemeanor resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and simple assault charges for the incident last night in the 1000 block of East Pine Street.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Magisterial District Judge Anthony Kilker’s office by Patrolman Thomas Rentschler, he was called to the area around 8:43pm for a disturbance.
A 911 caller reported that Hasara was yelling and screaming in front of their house.
Officers arrived to find Hasara claiming a man was giving a drug out, that everyone was on it, and that his girlfriend had been dead for a year, which Rentschler said was not true.
Hasara then told Rentschler “I’m God and you know I’m God.”
Asked why he was disturbing the callers, he claimed that “2,000 years ago, they came in the middle of the night,” and that the man giving a drug out was the devil and controlling everyone with their phone through a computer. He also claimed that the man was also a robot.
Hasara continued with similar statements before being taken to the patrol car. Rentschler searched Hasara’s person for weapons and Hasara then claimed that the aforementioned man had killer dogs, along with “other statements that clearly did not make any sense,” Rentschler said in the filing.
Rentschler then attempted to take Hasara into custody. Rentschler placed one handcuff on Hasara, and a struggle ensued.
The two fell to the ground, and Hasara continued to resist arrest. Another Mahanoy City officer, Jordan Smith, came to Rentschler’s aid and drew his TASER device.
Before Smith could stun Hasara, Hasara grabbed the TASER device and attempted to disarm Smith.
During that struggle, Rentschler received an elbow injury.
Smith managed to regain control of the TASER device and stun Hasara — and, in the process, Rentschler — and took Hasara into custody.
In the patrol car, Hasara continued yelling and shouting and attempted to kick the windows of the car out. He continued making nonsensical statements, Rentschler said.
On the way to the station, Hasara managed to slip his handcuffs from the back to the front and, when officers opened the car door to take him into the station, he attempted to flee unsuccessfully.
Hasara refused to go into the station, claiming “the robot was gonna kill him.”
Another struggle ensued at the station, in which he was taken to the ground again, and placed in leg restraints.
Hasara was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital — Schuylkill for evaluation.
At 1:00am, Saint Clair Police called Rentschler, saying Hasara was released and had walked to their station and was making nonsensical statements again. Saint Clair Police then took Hasara into custody.
Hasara was committed to Schuylkill County Prison on $25,000 straight cash bail.
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