Richie Rathsack
Record-Journal
WALLINGFORD, Conn. — A man faces charges that he pointed a loaded assault rifle at a police officer and attempted to shoot him.
Adam Grella, 28, was arrested Wednesday morning and charged with criminal attempt at murder, first-degree reckless endangerment and second-degree breach of peace.
Grella appeared Wednesday afternoon in Meriden Superior Court, where he was brought in dressed in a green hooded sweatshirt and gray sweatpants as he shuffled up to public defender Thomas Conroy.
The bail commissioner said Grella has no criminal history and was screened by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.
“There seems to be mental health issues,” Conroy said, requesting a $70,000 bail.
Judge Philip Scarpellino set bail at $100,000 and said it can be reargued later. He also transferred the case to New Haven Superior Court.
The incident started when Meriden police called Wallingford police about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday and asked them to investigate a driver who was wanted on motor vehicle charges, according to the police report. The driver, who turned out to be Grella, had evaded Meriden police on his way home.
Three Wallingford officers went to Grella’s Highland Avenue home and knocked on the door. When no one answered right away, they began walking around the house.
One of the officers shouted, “Whoa, he’s got a gun!” followed by several shouts of “Police! Drop the gun!” according to the police report. Another officer approaching the area noticed a man standing in the dark with what appeared to be a rifle, pointed at police.
As the two officers took cover, a third officer approached and heard a basement hatch door locking.
Additional officers arrived and began blocking the street. Neighbors were told to stay away from windows.
Police heard an upstairs window open and then heard Grella on the phone, asking why police were outside his house, according to the report. He told police on the phone he did not know they were officers when he was outside with the gun and that people were always trying to kill him. Police eventually convinced him to walk outside without any weapons.
Grella’s father also came outside, telling police his son is “emotionally unstable,” the report said.
Adam Grella spoke with police continually at the scene, making a joke out of the situation. He told police he had actually pulled the trigger and was surprised the gun didn’t fire, but then noticed the safety was still on.
Adam Grella told police he had been at Centerfolds in Berlin, where he works, and drank four beers before driving home, according to the report. He thought someone from the club was following him and therefore took back roads through Meriden to lose him.
At one point, he stopped to urinate in a parking lot and, upon leaving, noticed police lights in the distance but did not think they were meant for him to stop, so he proceeded on his way home.
When he heard the knock on the door, he thought it was the person following him, so he retrieved his Stag AR15, loaded it, grabbed an extra magazine and took position behind a bush, where he had a table set up with a bipod for the rifle, according to the report. Grella told police he never heard them yelling and was afraid because People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals had tried to kill him because he is a hunter, according to the report.
Police found the rifle, which was loaded with tracer rounds and armor-piercing rounds. Police also seized a 20-gauge shotgun, a .22 lever-action rifle, a .22 caliber bolt-action rifle, a 9 mm pistol and a large quantity of assorted ammunition.
Copyright 2012 Record-Journal