Police: Man assaults teen afraid of getting a flu shot

PENN HILLS, Pa. – Police say a Pennsylvania man attacked his girlfriend’s 14-year-old son because the boy was afraid of getting a flu shot.

Penn Hills police say 32-year-old Justin Heilmann, of Verona, is charged with simple assault and endangering the welfare of children. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports he brought his girlfriend’s teenage son to a local medical practice on Tuesday to get a flu shot.

According to the police affidavit, the teen was “uncomfortable” getting a shot and Heilmann punched him after attempting to restrain the boy. The teenager ran out of the building and Heilmann followed, soon pushing the teenager down a flight of stairs and dragging him across a parking lot.

No lawyer is listed for Heilmann in online court documents. He faces a preliminary hearing Nov. 20.

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Information from: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, http://www.post-gazette.com