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A city man is behind bars with bail denied after allegedly threatening to "wipe out" Altoona police and a district magistrate.
Vincent Anthony Burr, 43, was arraigned Wednesday by Magisterial District Judge Andrew L. Blattenberger on a felony count of retaliation against a prosecutor or judicial official, a misdemeanor count of communications with 911 and three misdemeanor counts of making terroristic threats.
He is being held at the Blair County Prison with bail denied due to "erratic" behavior, "non-compliance with medications" and "no release conditions can assure community safety," online court documents show.
The charges were brought against Burr after he called the Altoona Police Department about 5 a.m. Wednesday and threatened officers and Magisterial District Judge Benjamin F. Jones with violence. Burr told officers he was irate over being stopped by police earlier in the night for a traffic violation, but officers later determined he had been stopped by Logan Township police, according to the affidavit of probable cause.
Burr said the phone call was a warning to the "good cops" at APD, if there were any, and to watch out because he would "wipe out" the department. He told officers that not only was he wrongfully stopped, but officers followed him home to his residence along the 1000 block of 17th Avenue, the police report states.
Burr stated he had previously been grievously wounded by police and that his "wipe out" of police would be, in part, because of that. Officers later determined that Burr was injured during a motor vehicle crash in May after leading police in Jefferson County on a pursuit, the report states.
Burr also allegedly referenced his arrest by APD in January 2026 for domestic violence related charges and expressed anger toward Jones for setting bail in that case, saying Jones was "done." He said he was going to cause "major problems" when he "destroyed" those who had been involved in his interactions with the legal system, the report states.
Burr then called Blair 911 about 7:30 a.m. and ranted about his prior injury. The dispatcher transferred him to APD, and Burr told a patrol supervisor that he knew APD had a "hit" out on him, the report states.
Police and 911 call records show that since November of 2025, Burr has, on at least four previous dates, called 911 multiple times each day. The reasons for the calls ranged from, at best, non-emergency and at worst, nonsensical, often involving imagined violence. Each time officers warned him of potential arrest for continued abuse of the 911 system, the report states.
Burr is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Nov. 25 in front of Magisterial District Judge Daniel C. DeAntonio.