Man Who was Tased While Running Through Children’s Soccer Game Pleads Guilty to Charges

Keith Heffintrayer | North Penn Now•

A Warminster Township man has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a pair of same-day incidents that occurred in early May in Hilltown Township.

Zachary Bommentre, 23, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one felony count of strangulation along with misdemeanor counts of simple assault and harassment, as part of a plea agreement with Bucks County prosecutors, court records show. An additional misdemeanor count of resisting arrest was dropped in exchange for Bommentre’s plea.

Police were dispatched to an apartment along the 800 block of Callowhill Road at 1:36 p.m. on May 6 for a report of a domestic assault in which the male suspect had since fled on foot. The victim said she was physically assaulted by Bommentre, who then held a knife to his throat and said he would slit his own throat if the police were called, according to charging documents.

A neighbor then yelled through a shared wall that they were calling 911, at which point Bommentre fled the scene on foot, police said.

Police from multiple jurisdictions were called to the scene and began searching for Bommentre, who was eventually located and chased through the rear yard of Carson Helicopters along the 900 block of Blooming Glen Road. Bommentre continued to flee towards the Deep Run Valley Sports Association and made his way through the rear of an active athletic field where children and parents were involved in a soccer match, according to the criminal complaint.

Bommentre continued to run through the field with police in pursuit, at which time another officer ran towards him to intercept and take him into custody, police said. A taser was used to take down Bommentre, and he was subsequently taken into custody, according to police.

Following the arrest, Hilltown Township Police issued a public statement describing what had occurred and assuring there was no ongoing threat to the public. They additionally dispelled a rumor that a firearm was used, stating a firearm was never displayed or involved in the incident.

Police said Bommentre also had active warrants for his arrest out of Philadelphia, and a review of Bucks County court records showed he has prior convictions in recent years for harassment, reckless endangerment, hit and run, simple assault, and false imprisonment.

Bommentre, who was on probation at the time of his May arrest, is being held at the Bucks County Correctional Facility in lieu of 10% of $50,000 cash bail while awaiting sentencing.

He faces up to 10 years in state prison on the felony strangulation charge.