NORTH HUNTINGDON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A man was arrested after police said he shot another man in the face with a crossbow during a robbery in Westmoreland County.
According to court documents, a man and a woman went to the North Huntingdon Police Department on Thursday to report that the man had been shot in the face with a crossbow. They identified the person who fired the weapon as Joseph M. Hart Jr.
The victim told officers the attack happened on Sept. 16 after the two met with Hart, someone the man considered a friend at the time, at the McDonald’s on Route 30 and had lunch with him. They went their separate ways after the meal, but the victim later received a call from Hart saying he was going to swing by his house on Pennsylvania Avenue.
The pair said nothing happened again until 2 a.m. on Sept. 17, when they saw headlights coming from a black Jeep SUV shining in front of their house. They invited Hart inside and said he showed them a crossbow he had picked up. He reportedly, excitedly, showed them how to load it. Hart then ran to his car for a minute, came back and “began to flip out.”
Police said Hart accused them of stealing $200 from him and began trashing the house and going through the belongings, adding that he stole several hundred dollars from a purse, a pair of Prada sunglasses and a cellphone.
Court documents say Hart picked up the crossbow, pointed it at the man and told him to remove his clothing. The man told police he “was so confused that he just stood there,” which led to Hart slamming him into a wall. The woman intervened, a scuffle broke out and it ended with Hart pointing the crossbow directly at the man’s face and firing it.
Police said the arrow pierced the right side of the man’s face, near his eye and traveled under the skin along his skull. Police say it went between five and six inches inside his face.
The victim said Hart then exclaimed, “I got you right in the face!” and began to run out of the house.
The woman told police she tried to stop Hart and made the comment, “What are you going to shoot me too?” to which Hart responded, “I’ll be back for you, sweetie.” Police said Hart also threatened to blow up the house if the couple reported the incident to anyone.
The man who was shot with the crossbow was taken to a hospital, where the arrow was surgically removed and filed into evidence.
The victims said they waited to report the incident to police out of fear for the well-being of their loved ones.
Hart has since been taken into custody. He is being charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault and robbery. He is being held at the Westmoreland County Prison without bail and is listed as a danger to the community.
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