A Lancaster County man was sentenced this week to serve up to five years in prison for a 2024 shooting at a truck as it left the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport near Latrobe.
Tyler J. Mieczkowski, 24, pleaded guilty Tuesday to felony counts of aggravated assault and fleeing from police in connection with the Dec. 29, 2024, incident. Police said Mieczkowski fired multiple shots from a handgun into a box truck after it made a delivery to a private vendor’s hangar on airport grounds.
No one was injured in the shooting.
According to court records, the truck driver told police he had made a delivery to LJ Aviation at the airport and, as he sat in a parking lot and checked his cellphone, he heard a loud pop.
He told police he saw Mieczkowski point a gun at his face. Mieczkowski then fired a shot through the truck’s windshield and moved his car before firing a second time.
The truck driver gave a description of the shooter’s vehicle, which was then spotted by police as it drove on Route 30. Mieczkowski led police on a 16-mile chase that ended in Blairsville after metal spike strips were deployed on the road, forcing him to crash.
As part of the plea deal, prosecutors agreed to dismiss one count of attempted homicide.
Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger sentenced Mieczkowski to serve 2 1/2 to 5 years in prison and two additional years on probation. Mieczkowski has been in jail without bond since his arrest.
The judge also ordered Mieczkowski to pay approximately $10,000 in restitution to the box truck’s owner and $15,340 to the state police.