Amazon driver held at gunpoint wants suspect to face stiffer charges
An Amazon delivery driver is calling for more severe criminal charges against the man accused of holding her at gunpoint during a December incident in Brentwood.
“I could’ve lost my life and he didn’t care,” said Linquita Schley, 23.
Brian Dengler, 65, of Brentwood, was charged with simple assault, ethnic intimidation and terroristic threats in connection with the Dec. 21 incident on Brownsville Road. At a hearing on Tuesday, he was held on all charges and released on bond on the condition that he relinquish his firearms.
His attorney produced a receipt from Allegheny Arms, proving Mr. Dengler sold three firearms to the Bethel Park gun store. His next hearing is scheduled for April 1.
Mr. Dengler told police he attacked Ms. Schley on Dec. 21 because he “just wanted to go home,” and Ms. Schley’s van was blocking his driveway, according to a criminal complaint.
Ms. Schley had pulled over in front of Mr. Dengler’s apartment building to drop off packages when he arrived home, the complaint said.
He started “aggressively honking” at Ms. Schley and she signaled to him to wait until she was done with her delivery to move, police said.
Mr. Dengler then got out of his car and approached the van with a handgun, calling Ms. Schley a racial slur and threatening to kill her if she didn’t move out of his way, according to the complaint.
A witness at the scene recorded a cellphone video where Mr. Dengler can be seen removing a handgun from his jacket pocket and pointing it at Ms. Schley, who tries to push it away from her face.
Mr. Dengler put the weapon back into his pocket and returned to his Nissan Altima and drove away, authorities said. He was arrested by Brentwood police later that day.
Ms. Schley said she’s still limping from physical injuries suffered during the attack and suffers from PTSD. She has also lost time from work and had her car repossessed.
Before Mr. Dengler’s hearing, advocates gathered outside District Magistrate Judge Ralph Kaiser’s office in Whitehall to express support for Ms. Schley.
“We’re not happy with the simple assault charges,” said Kyna James, the coalition organizer for the Alliance for Police Accountability. “Black and brown people are charged with so much more for so much less.”
Mr. James said District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr.’ s office should have charged Mr. Dengler with aggravated assault, a felony, so he “wouldn’t have the possibility to do this to someone else.”
District Attorney’s Office Chief of Staff Rebecca Spangler said based on the allegations, the charges appropriately reflect the severity of the actions. Ethnic intimidation is classified as a felony, she said.
“We will continue to vigorously pursue the charges,” Ms. Spangler said.
Ms. Schley was officially employed at LD3 Logistics, a freight-carrier service based in North Versailles. But Ms. Schley said the company was contracted by Amazon, and is expected to follow its protocols.
“Amazon needs to hold the third party [LD3] accountable for suffering [she experienced] while performing duties for the company,” said Pittsburgh NAACP President Daylon Davis.
Representatives from Amazon could not immediately be reached for comment. In late December, the company shared a statement with Post-Gazette news partner KDKA.
“This is a terrible incident and we’re thankful the driver is okay. Safety is always our top priority, and while instances like this are rare across our network, we continuously invest in protecting drivers and community members. We’ll continue to support the delivery partner and law enforcement as they investigate.”
Ms. Schley said she’s grateful to walk away from the incident with her life.
“I’m happy to be here, I just don’t want to suffer anymore,” she said.