COLUMBUS, Ohio – A 26-year-old Maryland man accused of threatening a Megabus driver with a pellet gun in an alleged hijacking attempt downtown reportedly says he is mentally ill.
The Columbus Dispatch reports Arsenio Rodriguez, of Bowie, Md., made his initial appearance in a courtroom Tuesday where a police report indicated Rodriguez told investigators he has schizophrenia but wasn’t taking his medication.
The judge set bond at $250,000 for Rodriguez, who has been charged with robbery. A message seeking comment was left for the public defender who said in court that Rodriguez is homeless.
A police spokesman has said Officer Matt Liford was responding Monday to reports of a man with a gun at a bus stop at N. 4th Street and E. Spring Street and saw Rodriguez with the weapon. Liford fired multiple times, injuring Rodriguez and a passenger, police said.