This article is courtesy of Keith Heffintrayer | North Penn Now.
A Conshohocken man is facing charges after he allegedly struck a vehicle repeatedly with a baseball bat during a road rage incident, only to later learn the victim was an off-duty police officer from an area police department.
David Stitt, 37, has been charged with felony aggravated assault against designated individuals along with misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment, simple assault, criminal mischief, and related offenses, in connection with the Aug. 8 incident in Upper Gwynedd Township.
Stitt is currently being held at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in lieu of $99,000 cash bail.
Upper Gwynedd Police were dispatched to the intersection of Route 202 Parkway and Welsh Road at 6:32 p.m. for a report of an armed subject. Upon arrival, police spoke with the victim — a local police officer whose name is being withheld — who stated they were traveling northbound on the parkway when the vehicle in front of them abruptly slammed on their breaks. The victim utilized their vehicle’s horn, at which point the vehicle in front of them abruptly changed lanes and ended up directly behind the victim at a stop, according to charging documents.
The driver of the other vehicle, later identified as Stitt, exited his vehicle with a baseball bat and twice struck the victim’s rear driver’s side door, police said. During the second strike, the driver’s side window shattered, causing multiple injuries to the victim’s face and left knee from flying shards of glass, police said.
Stitt then fled southbound on the parkway, according to the criminal complaint. Information from a witness corroborated the victim’s story, police said.
After being identified and contacted by police, Stitt allegedly admitted to exiting his vehicle and shattering the window with the bat, police said.
Stitt was officially charged on Aug. 17 and arraigned by District Judge Harry Nesbitt III, who set bail at $99,000 cash. His next court appearance is a preliminary hearing on Aug. 25 at 10:30 a.m. in front of District Judge Suzan Leonard.
Court records show Stitt has multiple other active cases against him across Montgomery County involving charges of fleeing from law enforcement and leaving the scene of an accident. He was out on bail at the time of the most recent arrest.
An official from the victim’s police department told North Penn Now the victim has since returned to full duty.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause. This story was updated to reflect the child’s current custody status.
Photo: Upper Gwynedd Police Department