A Schuylkill County man was jailed earlier this week after police say he fled from a bicycle stop, collided with a vehicle, and threw a stolen handgun during a foot chase.
Elree Williams Jr., 45, of Minersville, is charged with second-degree felony possession of a firearm prohibited, second-degree felony receiving stolen property, third-degree felony firearms not to be carried without a license, third-degree felony flight to avoid apprehension, and second-degree misdemeanor resisting arrest. He was arraigned on those charges before Magisterial District Judge Stephen Bayer and remanded to Schuylkill County Prison on $50,000 bail.
The charges stem from an incident at approximately 9:50 p.m. on Oct. 5, 2025. Police say they responded to a report of a disturbance involving a man with a firearm at an address in the 100 block Westwood St. Dispatch informed officers that Williams had left the scene on a bicycle heading south toward Pottsville.
Police say they located Williams on a bicycle traveling toward the King’s Village Plaza and told him to stop multiple times. Williams looked at police but disregarded the commands, rode around the Craft Haus beer distributor, and traveled into oncoming traffic in the northbound lane of the Pottsville-Minersville Highway, police say.
As police kept pace in the southbound lane, Williams crossed both highway lanes and collided with a stopped vehicle at the plaza entrance, police allege. He then fled on foot toward the Water Junction refilling station with police in pursuit.
During the foot chase, police say Williams reached into his waistband, retrieved a firearm, and threw it over the roof of the refilling station before stopping to face police. When officers attempted to handcuff him, Williams resisted by pulling away and pushing them, police allege. Williams was taken to the ground and handcuffed with the assistance of a bystander and an off-duty officer.
Police later recovered the firearm, a tan SCCY CPX-2 handgun, from the median of the Pottsville-Minersville Highway. Police say Williams told them he threw the gun because he is a felon and is not permitted to possess a firearm.
A criminal history check confirmed Williams is not allowed to possess a firearm, and a query on the handgun confirmed it was stolen from the Cleveland Police Department in Ohio, police say.
Williams is currently confined in the Schuylkill County Prison, unable to post $50,000 monetary bail.
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