A Ruston man was arrested Thursday afternoon after he allegedly threatened a family with a pistol.
Ruston Police responded to a Kennon Lane residence about 3:30 p.m. Thursday. The victim had reported Bernard Shorts, 64, was waving around a firearm at her family. When officers arrived, Shorts was standing near the door of his pickup truck and was taken into custody.
Shorts said he and the alleged victim got into an argument over a puppy he had given her over a week ago. He said he was in the area at his friend’s apartment when the victim and her family approached him in a confrontational manner. Shorts said he pulled out his Ruger .380 pistol and held it down near his right leg while telling everyone to back up. Shorts said at no time did he point the firearm at anyone.
The victim and her family said Shorts waved a small pistol at them. A Ruger .380 pistol was found in the armrest of Shorts’ vehicle.
Shorts was booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center for three counts of aggravated assault with a firearm. Bail was set at $30,000.
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
