A 31-year-old Nazareth man fired a gun Sunday evening striking an occupied car in a dispute involving a hermit crab, borough police report in court papers.

Mario Maisonet, 31, of Nazareth, is charged with shooting a car and endangering several people on April 3, 2016, in the borough. (Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com)

Mario Maisonet, of the first block of Easton Road, was taken to Central Booking at Northampton County Prison after he was arrested later Sunday night by Palmer Township police at his mother's house in the first block of Penn's Grant in the township, borough police said.

Maisonet was arguing with Christian Roman just before 6:30 p.m. at 9 Easton Road in the borough about Roman's son -- soon to be Maisonet's step-son -- wanting to bring a hermit crab into Maisonet's home, police said. Roman and his girlfriend were returning the boy from a weekend visit, police said. It was when Roman handed off the boy to the boy's mother -- who is Roman's ex-wife and Maisonet's fiancee -- that the dispute began, police said.

Maisonet took out a black handgun and pointed it at Roman, police said. The 10-year-old boy was nearby and Roman's girlfriend Amber Uricoechea was also close at hand in a 2002 Chevrolet, police said. Maisonet then fired a shot at the car, hitting the left front wheel, with Christian Roman standing about three feet away with his son next to him, police said.

The bullet struck the plastic hubcap cover and then the metal rim before ricocheting back through the hubcap, police said.

Maisonet then went to the front of the car and pointed the Ruger 9mm at Christian Roman and Uricoechea, who were both in Roman's Chevy at this point, police said.

Maisonet left without firing another shot, police said. The gun was recovered at the Palmer Township residence, police said. A spent 9mm casing was found at the shooting scene, police said.

No one was injured, police said.

Eyewitnesses backed up Christian Roman's description of events, police said. Maisonet later admitted he fired the shot, police said.

Maisonet was charged with six counts of aggravated assault, three counts of simple assault, three counts of recklessly endangering another person, two counts of harassment, two counts of disorderly conduct and one count of endangering the welfare of children, police said.

He was arraigned before on-call District Judge James Narlesky and sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $100,000 bail, court papers say.

A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled 10 a.m. April 18 in District Judge John Capobianco's Nazareth court.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.