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Philip Pelchat, age 48, of East Longmeadow, faces several felony charges after he allegedly threatened to kill his neighbor on Saturday, Dec. 9, East Longmeadow police said.
Police were called to Lee Street just after 10:30 p.m. when Pelchat's neighbor said he had gone into Pelchat's yard to retrieve his dog that had gotten out and was playing with Pelchat's pooch. The man said Pelchat came out with a pistol in his hand and threatened to kill him and the man's dog, authorities said.
When officers arrived, Pelchat had a pistol in his hand. They ordered him to drop the firearm, but he walked back inside his house, authorities said. Pelchat came out a few minutes later unarmed.
Police found several unsecured firearms inside his house, East Longmeadow officials said.
Pelchat is charged with:
- Assault with a dangerous weapon
- Possession of a firearm without a license to carry
- Possession of ammunition without a license to carry
- Threat to commit a crime (murder)
- Possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony
"I commend all of these officers for their bravery in responding to this call and for their effective de-escalation skills while dealing with an armed person who was not responding to their lawful commands," said East Longmeadow Chief Mark Williams. "Sgt. (Michael) Sousa quickly identified and contained the suspect and effectively secured and placed him into custody as soon as he safely could. We're fortunate that no person or animal was injured in this volatile incident."
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