Police: Armed man wearing clown wig said he wanted to ‘kill all Democrats’
Published atDELMONT, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — A Westmoreland County man is facing several charges after police said he wanted to “kill all Democrats.”
Jan Stawovy, 61, took a loaded gun into a Delmont Dairy Queen, and police said the quick action of an officer saved lives.
It was Saturday, Sept. 10, is when Delmont police said Stawovy walked into a Dairy Queen on State Route 66 in a yellow safety vest and rainbow clown wig. Callers told police he had a gun. Within a minute, Officer Gregory Stull was there.
Multiple people were inside the DQ at the time and police say a group of people, including several with intellectual disabilities, were heading inside. Officer Stull found Stawovy and took him into custody.
Police found a loaded .40 caliber handgun and ammo on him. Stawovy allegedly told police he was “undercover” and he was “working to restore Trump to president king of the United States.” He said he was armed to “kill Democrats and liberals” and to protect himself from “drug traffickers.” Investigators got a search warrant and found two more guns in his car along with 62 rounds of ammo.
In looking at Stawovy’s Facebook page, he has a history of outbursts and threats. In the past two years, Stawovy has been asked to leave two different congregations in Westmoreland County leading up to Saturday’s arrest, both sent him letters that say he had outbursts and was threatening.
The New Stanton Assembly of God asked him to leave their congregation in August of last year and not come back to their property. Their letter recommended he get some professional help. Their pastor told KDKA’s Chris Hoffman on the phone they have not had contact with Stawovy since he left, and they are praying for him.
Then, just on Friday, he got a letter from Barren Run United Methodist Church in Smithton. Their letter says he showed up to their church in a clown costume and scared congregants. They too recommended he get some professional help. Stawovy called both of these letters “love letters.”
He also had photos showing his support for the former president, and he even had a post saying, “civil war in 2024?”
Stawovy is not in jail yet, but he is in custody. He is currently waiting for his preliminary arraignment for the charges of terroristic threats, carrying without a license, person not to possess/use firearms and disorderly conduct.
The quick actions of Officer Stull saved lives, according to the Delmont police chief. His department trains for active shooter situations and his department used their training to prevent one.
The officer was honored by Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli on Tuesday night.
She thanked him for his quick response to the situation.