Philipsburg man accused of threatening to shoot state police troopers, prompting road closure
A Philipsburg man was arrested Saturday after state police at Rockview said he brandished what appeared to be a firearm and threatened to kill troopers during a standoff.
Giovanny L. Albizu, 31, was charged with a felony count of aggravated assault and a misdemeanor count of terroristic threats. A portion of state Route 350 was closed for nearly five hours Saturday while police attempted to take him into custody.
Albizu called emergency dispatchers before dawn Saturday and told them girls were crawling on his car and he was going to kill them, police wrote in an affidavit of probable cause. He disconnected the call without providing other information.
Troopers said they found Albizu above a detached garage that was blocked with chairs. He yelled that he would shoot any troopers that came up the stairs, police wrote, and brandished what appeared to be a firearm by tapping it on the window.
Albizu called 911 multiple times while troopers were outside of the building and again said he would shoot anyone who attempted to come inside, police wrote.
The charging document did not detail how police arrested Albizu. A defense lawyer was not listed.
Social media posts from people who said they witnessed the standoff described seeing heavily-armed troopers, a sight one woman said was “scary.”
Albizu was denied bail by District Judge Gregory Koehle. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 11.
