Norristown man faces trial for road rage shooting

NORRISTOWN » A Norristown man accused of shooting another man during a confrontation fueled by road rage has pleaded not guilty to assault-related charges and will be scheduled for trial in Montgomery County Court.

Emilio Mark Ayala, 25, of the 1700 block of Arch Street, waived his arraignment in county court and pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated and simple assault, terroristic threats and recklessly endangering other persons in connection with the alleged May 11, 2018, incident in the 1000 block of Cherry Street in Norristown during which a 19-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the leg.

Ayala, who remains in the county jail in lieu of $1 million bail, faces a pretrial conference before Judge Todd D. Eisenberg on Sept. 20. Ayala, who is represented by defense lawyer BenZion Datika, faces a possible maximum sentence of 21½ to 43 years in prison if convicted of all the charges at a trial.

An investigation began about 1 p.m. May 11 when Norristown police were dispatched to the 1000 block of Cherry Street for a reported shooting. When officers arrived they found the 19-yearold man, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to his upper right thigh, lying in the doorway of a home on the block, according to the criminal complaint filed by Norristown Detective Charles Leeds.

The victim was treated at the scene by Plymouth Ambulance medics, who originally transported him to Suburban Community Hospital before he was airlifted to Penn Presbyterian Hospital for further treatment.

A female who was with the victim told police they had been traveling in a vehicle on Spruce Street approaching Cherry Street when a black Honda Accord coupe nearly pulled out in front of them. When they stopped, a man later identified as Ayala got out of his vehicle and allegedly brandished a gun, according to the arrest affidavit.

The witness said she and the victim drove away, making several turns in an attempt to get away from the gun-toting motorist. However, they encountered him again at a traffic light at Swede and Elm streets and Ayala then allegedly followed them onto the 1000 block of Cherry Street, detectives said.

Ayala allegedly stopped in the middle of the street and got out of his vehicle and began to fight with the victim on the sidewalk. During the physical altercation, Ayala allegedly drew his handgun

and fired it, striking the victim in the leg, according to court documents.

Ayala then pointed the gun at the female witness and “she told him to get in his car and leave,” detectives alleged. Ayala drove off and headed north on Cherry Street.

Investigators said they recovered a single .40-caliber shell casing near where the shooting occurred. Police also collected surveillance footage from several video cameras in the area.

Searching the Pennsylvania Criminal Intelligence Center database for Honda Accord coupes in Norristown and the surrounding 5-mile radius, investigators hit on a 2001 model fitting the description of the suspect’s car and registered to Ayala, of Arch Street, according to the criminal complaint.

The search also revealed Ayala owned a .40-caliber handgun and had a concealed carry permit, detectives alleged.

Detectives subsequently met with the victim, who immediately picked Ayala out of a photo array of suspects, as did several other witnesses, identifying Ayala as the shooter, according to court papers.

About 5:30 p.m. on May 12, a borough officer spotted Ayala in the 1700 block of Arch Street. When backup arrived, Ayala was taken into custody following a brief foot chase that ended when he reportedly got stuck in some shrubbery.