Delivery Driver Charged In Personal Defense Pistol Incident In Vernon

VERNON, CT — A delivery driver making rounds in Vernon has been charged with four crimes — including a felony — after an incident involving a personal defense weapon, police said.

Vernon police released a report on the May 16 incident this week.

At 8:50 p.m. that day, Vernon police received a complaint out of Thomas Street about a delivery driver who "pulled a gun" on a resident, according to an arrest report.

In the midst of an argument, the driver, whose affiliation was not outlined in an arrest report, pointed a black, "pistol style" Byrna OC gun at the resident while insinuating it was an "actual firearm," according to an arrest report.

The driver, identified as 48-year-old Michael Olejarz, of Hartford, was charged with first-degree threatening (a felony), carrying a dangerous weapon, second-degree breach of peace and illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle, according to an arrest report.

He posted a $10,000 bond and was to appear in Rockville Superior Court Monday.

According to a description on a company profile, the Byrna OC Pistol, which is also called the "Byrna SD or Compact Launcher," is a CO₂-powered, "less-lethal self-defense device" that resembles a small handgun. It fires a "chemical irritant" or "solid kinetic projectiles" to "incapacitate threats from a distance without lethal force, requiring no background check or permit to own," according to a company profile. Black is a color option.