BURRILLVILLE – A 26-year-old Cranston man is facing multiple felonies after allegedly shooting a BB gun at the home and vehicle of the Burrillville man who was dating his ex-girlfriend.
Joshua Lataille was charged with discharge of a firearm from a motor vehicle, drive-by shootings and conspiracy, along with two counts of vandalism, following an incident on Friday, July 22.
According to the arrest report, the victim, a 27-year-old man, called police to his home on Douglas Pike around 1 a.m., and said he was inside the apartment when he heard bullets hitting his window and walls.
The victim told police his friend went outside after hearing the noise and witnessed a white Infiniti G7X with a missing headlight driving away, a car that belonged to Lataille, the ex-boyfriend of the woman he was dating. He said Lataille had recently been harassing him with phone calls and had shown up at his Burrillville home to confront him on more than one occasion.
The building reportedly had holes from BB pellets through the vinyl framing and a glass window in the bathroom. The front windshield of the victim’s car was also smashed, with evidence that the driver’s side window had been shot with a BB pellet.
Burrillville police put out a BOLO for Lataille’s vehicle to neighboring departments, and Cranston police responded soon after, saying they found Lataille at his home and took him into custody for a warrant on a separate incident.
During an interview with police, Lataille said it was his younger friend who committed all of the crimes and that he was just in the car. He said his vehicle was not involved in the incident, and that he was neither the driver or the shooter during a visit to the Burrillville man’s home.
Police found a BB pellet inside Lataille’s car, and eventually got him to share text messages in which he and another 20-year-old male discuss plans to visit Burrillville with the BB gun.
Lataille’s long record in the state’s criminal database includes multiple charges of crimes including assault, DUI, domestic violence, vandalism, resisting arrest, driving without a license, disorderly conduct, possession of marijuana, firing in a compact area and conspiracy.
Lataille was released on a $3,000 surety bond and his next court date is set for Wednesday, Oct. 19.
Released on a $3000 bond…and there is the problem. Multiple felony record, warrant out for his arrest…and our broken court system let’s him out on bond. But if someone gets caught with a high capacity magazine, it’s 5 years in prison! Tell me who’s side our government is on again?