Delco Man Surrenders for Alleged Gunfire Incident at Basketball Game

A heated exchange at a neighborhood basketball game in the southwest section of Philadelphia turned violent Saturday after police say a coach from Delaware County fired a gun into the air Saturday afternoon, according to 6ABC.com.

Maurice Tavares, 26, of Chester, surrendered to Philadelphia police Monday afternoon after a warrant was issued for his arrest, Philly.com reports. He will face charges including aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment.

According to multiple reports of the incident, a basketball game at the Christy Recreation Center on South 56th Street between teenagers was strongly competitive. At one point, a group of people in the stands got into an argument with Tavares, a coach for one of the teams. A police spokesperson tells media that Tavares walked away from the crowd, pulled his handgun out and fired it into the air, shattering one of the windows.

Tavares’ attorney told reporters that his client felt threatened by the crowd and fired the weapon out of self-defense. Police say nobody was injured from the incident.