Reynaldo Figueroa-Ardon Charged After Allegedly Pointing Gun At Whitemarsh Township Police Officer's Head, Pulling Trigger
WHITEMARSH TOWNSHIP, Pa. (CBS) -- In Montgomery County, a police officer is lucky to be alive after a suspect pointed a gun at his head and pulled the trigger.
"So she looked out and saw a guy standing about there. He had a hoodie on and some kind of dark jacket," neighbor Barrie Miller said.
Miller and his wife were working on a crossword puzzle around 8 a.m. Wednesday when surveillance footage from a neighbor shows a man alleged to be 20-year-old Reynaldo Figueroa-Ardon walking by.
"About a half-hour later, this is about 8:30 I think, the cops came to the door," Miller said.
According to a criminal complaint from the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office, Figueroa-Ardon had been trying to open unlocked car doors along Mulberry Lane in Whitemarsh Township.
"You don't think you have to lock your cars. In fact, a lot of people don't even sometimes lock their houses around here," Miller said.
The complaint says the K-9 officer Matthew Stadulis responded to a 911 call and when he approached the 20-year-old, Figueroa-Ardon pulled out a stolen gun and pulled the trigger three times at point-blank range.
The gun was fully loaded but never fired and after a scuffle, Stadulis arrested the suspect.
"We're so grateful for the judgment of the police officer and the restraint of the police officer in this situation, which I'm sure was very terrifying," neighbor Juliet Curci said.
Figueroa-Ardon has several previous arrests in Vineland, New Jersey, according to the DA's office, including as recently as March 8.
It's unclear at this point why he was in the area, but neighbors are thankful the officer is still alive.
"I hope that the fact that people from our community are having conversations with police makes people aware that there are people watching and looking and seeking that this is the kind of outcome we would hope for," Curci said.
"Why's it gotta happen, you know? What's mine is mine and it's just not fair sometimes," Miller said.
Figueroa-Ardon is charged with at least six crimes, including attempted murder.
