Allentown man arrested after shots ring out near Harrison-Morton Middle School

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A 23-year-old Allentown man was arrested Monday morning after allegedly firing a handgun and threatening a school security officer, police said.

Victor Nieves was apprehended after Allentown Police responded to reports of shots fired in the 100 block of North 2nd Street around 10 am.

A witness reported seeing a male fire rounds into the air from a handgun near the 200 block of Spruce Street.

The incident occurred near Harrison-Morton Middle School. A parent reported on Facebook at 10:34 am that the school was placed on lockdown, and some students heard gunshots while walking to school.

While police were investigating with a witness and an Allentown School District Security Officer, the suspect reappeared and allegedly began fighting with the security officer.

During the altercation, Nieves allegedly pointed a handgun at the security officer before fleeing and disposing of it when he spotted uniformed officers.

Police recovered the discarded weapon and arrested Nieves a short time later.

He faces charges of aggravated assault, simple assault, terroristic threats, carrying a concealed firearm without a license, and evading arrest.

Nieves is being held at Lehigh County Jail under $200,000 bail with a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 12.