A Logan Township man apparently distraught over the breakup of a nearly 10-year relationship with his girlfriend fired 21 shots into her home Saturday night, spurring an intense manhunt that still was under way late Sunday.
Police have charged Joseph B. Olecki, 33, formerly of 633 Drexel Lane, with criminal attempted homicide, aggravated assault, persons not to possess a firearm and theft of nine guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
Logan police put out an all-points bulletin covering the East Coast for Olecki and his 2005 Ford F150 black pickup truck with a super cab with Pennsylvania license registration YTV-7328.
Although Olecki is a Scranton-area native with family there, Logan Township Police Chief Ron Heller believes he was in the Altoona area Sunday.
Olecki's former girlfriend told police that he served time at the State Correctional Institution at Rockview for a similar incident more than a decade ago and has said he will not go back to jail.
Olecki told her "he was going to shoot up Altoona this weekend and take out as many people as possible," according to a police affidavit of probable cause issued with the arrest warrant.
Police say at 10:10 p.m. Saturday, Olecki fired 21 rounds into the house and his girlfriend's car from what they believe was an AK-47 assault rifle, a weapon that fires 90 to 100 rounds a minute.
The white pickup truck Olecki allegedly used in the shooting was found at 5:38 a.m. Sunday near the East Freedom Wal-Mart just south of Altoona.
The truck was believed to have been stolen from Olecki's place of employment, Lenny's Classic Cars on 58th Street, where he was a mechanic.
The weapons Olecki has, including four AK-47 assault rifles and two AR-15 assault rifles, were stolen from a friend, the police affidavit stated.
Police said Olecki and his ex-girlfriend had been together since 1999, when Olecki was released from a halfway house in Scranton. The couple then moved to Altoona.
Criminal records in Lackawanna County show Olecki was convicted in the early 1990s of aggravated assault, simple assault and and harassment.
Heller believes Olecki is extremely dangerous.
Mirror Staff Writer Phil Ray is at 946-7468.
