A Butler man pointed a shotgun at a Black man following an argument on Butler’s Main Street where he used racial slurs Sunday, May 19, city police said.

Joseph J. Hockenberry, 58, who police identified as white, was charged Sunday with felonies ethnic intimidation and aggravated assault and misdemeanors terroristic threats and simple assault after the argument unfolded near the Lafayette Apartments.

Police said witnesses reported seeing Hockenberry yelling at a Black man because of where he parked and telling him to “pull up his pants.”

According to police, witnesses said an argument ensued and Hockenberry pulled out a shotgun from the back seat of his truck, cocked it and pointed it at the other man. When asked, witnesses said at no point in the argument did the other man approach Hockenberry.

Police said they were first dispatched to 302 S. Main St. after receiving a report that a man with a shotgun had threatened to shoot someone.

According to charging documents, the Black man told police he parked nearby to pick up his wife from work. Police said he reported exiting his vehicle and looking for a trash can when Hockenberry starting yelling at him and using racial slurs.

Two witnesses spoke to police about the incident. One also told police of being fearful of Hockenberry, saying “I don’t want him to know my name.”

According to police, as Hockenberry was taken into custody, he said he was afraid of the man because “they’re always on crime shows.”

A shotgun was seen in the back seat of Hockenberry’s truck, which was towed from the scene so a search warrant could be prepared, according to police.

Hockenberry’s preliminary hearing has not been scheduled.