Man charged after allegedly firing gun out of car

A State College man faces several misdemeanor charges, including one weapons offense, after a reported incident in College Township.

According to the criminal complaint filed by State College police, officers responded at about 6:05 p.m. Monday to the 1800 block of East College Avenue. A witness stated an individual had fired a gun from a moving vehicle in the area and provided officers with a description of that vehicle and registration number.

The vehicle, a gold-colored Toyota, was located and the driver was identified as Ian B. James, 23, police said. A black handgun was seen partially covered in trash on the passenger seat.

The witness said he had been driving down East College Avenue when he attempted to pass the Toyota, police said. The driver reportedly pulled in front of him and stuck a black handgun out of the driver’s side window.

The witness followed and was able to provide a registration number to dispatch, police said. When he was about 20 yards behind the vehicle, the driver again stuck the gun out of the window and fired about six or seven shots into the air.

James allegedly admitted to shooting the gun in the air while driving, police said, saying he fired “for an adrenaline rush.” The handgun was identified as a .45-caliber Ruger and additional ammunition was located in the vehicle.

James was arraigned Monday before District Judge Steven Lachman, according to court documents, and charged with three misdemeanor counts of firearms not to be carried without a license, reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct. Unsecured bail was set at $25,000.

A preliminary hearing is slated for April 19.

This story was originally published April 12, 2017 at 12:11 AM with the headline "Man charged after allegedly firing gun out of car."