Charges After Handgun Threat

OCEAN CITY — A Delaware man was arrested on first-degree assault and weapons charges last weekend after allegedly threatening his fiancé with a handgun during a domestic incident.

Around 3:15 a.m. last Saturday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers were dispatched to a hotel lobby at 25th Street for a reported domestic assault that had already occurred. Ocean City Communications informed the responding officers a female victim reported having a gun pointed at her by her fiancé, later identified as Anthony Korneagay, 40, of Harrington, Del.

The victim told police Korneagay was likely in a room at a motel nearby on 25th Street where the couple had been staying. The victim told police she and Korneagay had gotten into a verbal argument after returning from a bar and that she was trying to separate herself from the suspect, which only caused the argument to become physical, according to police reports.

The victim reportedly told police Korneagay had struck her in the thigh two times with the butt of a handgun while she was in the bedroom area. When the victim moved into the bathroom, Korneagay entered and pointed the gun at her and demanded her car keys, which she had hidden in her bra.

The victim told police Korneagay did take her car keys in an attempt to keep her from leaving him, but was not successful in taking her cash and credit cards, which she had concealed elsewhere on her person. According to police reports, the victim said Korneagay told her if she was going to leave him, she was going to have to walk.

The victim was able to escape the motel room and fled to the lobby of another hotel nearby where she called the police. According to police reports, the victim told the officers she feared for her life during the altercation with Korneagay. While speaking with the victim, OCPD officers observed a vehicle leaving the motel parking lot with a man matching Korneagay’s description behind the wheel and a high-risk stop was conducted.

Once stopped, Korneagay voluntarily admitted he had a handgun in his backpack inside the vehicle. A search found a Bersa handgun with five rounds in the magazine, but no round in the chamber.

A background check revealed Korneagay had a suspended Ohio license. Korneagay was charged with first-degree assault, transporting a handgun in a vehicle and the use of a handgun in the commission of a felony.

About The Author: Shawn Soper

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Shawn Soper has been with The Dispatch since 2000. He began as a staff writer covering various local government beats and general stories. His current positions include managing editor and sports editor. Growing up in Baltimore before moving to Ocean City full time three decades ago, Soper graduated from Loch Raven High School in 1981 and from Towson University in 1985 with degrees in mass communications with a journalism concentration and history.