Man allegedly aims gun at bystander calling 911

A man allegedly pointed a revolver at a witness who was reporting his actions to 911 on Friday evening near a Safeway grocery store in Vancouver. The witness reportedly saw the man pointing a gun at some teenage girls.

William J. Hall, 46, of Vancouver appeared Monday in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of first-degree assault in connection with the gun confrontation. Judge Robert Lewis held him in the Clark County Jail in lieu of $40,000 and appointed Vancouver attorney Steve Rucker to defend him. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the charge Nov. 14.

Hall said he took the gun from his glove box when some teenage girls attempted to “get into his car” and that one of the teens was armed with a hammer, according to a court affidavit by Vancouver police Officer Therman Bibens.

Patrick Lenhart, 38, was one of at least three people who witnessed the episode shortly before 10 p.m. Friday near the grocery store at 2615 N.E. 112th Ave., court records say. He got out of the vehicle he was riding in and called 911 from the roadside to report the gun disturbance.

Hall allegedly then pointed the loaded firearm at Lenhart.

“I thought he was going to shoot me,” Lenhart said, according to the affidavit.

Two other witnesses, Jor-Dan Martell, 23, and Samuel Hernandez, 27, said they also saw Hall pointing a silver revolver at a group of teenagers, court papers say.

The teenagers could not be located, Bibens wrote.

Police said they located the revolver inside Hall’s glove box.

Hall has no known criminal record, according to court papers.