I just… don’t even.
Police were called to a Dairy Queen in Delmont, PA, where an armed man wearing a clown wig & yellow safety vest claimed he “was working to restore Trump to president king of the United States” & was armed to “kill Democrats & liberals” & to protect himself from "drug traffickers."
DELMONT, Pa. (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.
Armed Man Arrested in Dairy Queen Wanted to ‘Restore’ Trump as ‘King’
An armed man was recently arrested in a Pennsylvania Dairy Queen after allegedly telling police that he wanted to “restore” former President Donald Trump as “king of the United States.”
Jan Stawovy, 61, was in possession of loaded firearms, including one that he carried into the Dairy Queen on Route 66, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 's website. He was arrested this past Saturday.
The Delmont Borough Police Department said in a press release, obtained by Newsweek , that Stawovy told investigators that the loaded gun was for protection and that he wanted to kill “Democrats and liberals.” Stawovy also wanted to “restore Trump to President king of the United States,” police said.
His arrest comes a few days after a similar incident in Michigan. The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release this week that Igor Lanis, 53, was fatally shot by officers after he killed his wife and also shot one of his daughters. In a Reddit post, Lanis’ other daughter wrote that “in 2020 after Trump lost, my dad started going down the Q rabbit hole,” a reference to the conspiracy theory QAnon.
The Reddit post continued, “He kept reading conspiracy theories about the stolen election, Trump, vaccines, etc. He always said he wanted to keep us safe and healthy… Well, at around 4 AM on September 11, he had an argument with my mother and he decided to take our guns and shoot her, my dog and my sister. My mother succumbed to her wounds and my sister is in the hospital right now. My dad also fired back at the cops and they killed him.”
The Delmont Borough Police Department said officer Gregory Stull first encountered Stawovy following reports of an “erratic driver.” He was described as wearing a “bright yellow safety vest and a rainbow clown wig,” police said.
In a Facebook post following Stawovy’s arrest, Delmont Borough Police Chief Timothy Klobucar said, "I would like to recognize the actions of Ofc. Stull during this incident. Ofc. Stull was on scene within a minute of being dispatched. The suspect exited his vehicle with a loaded firearm in his hands.