An Allston man who took out his frustrations at rats scurrying around his apartment building by shooting at them had his rifle and ammo taken away by police, who also charged him with a series of criminal offenses.

William McAbee was arraigned today in Brighton District Court for a Nov. 20 incident, in which police showed up at his Franklin Street building when a neighbor called 911 to report a man shooting a rifle repeatedly into the building's common area and backyard, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

McAbee, who lives on the second floor, "expressed great frustration" to police about the building's rodent infestation and admitted to trying to solve it through gunfire, the DA's office says. Police then confiscated McAbee's .22 caliber Smith and Wesson Model 422 rifle with one round left in it and a box of ammunition from his bedroom dresser, the DA's office reports. Officers also wanted to confiscate his firearms ID card, but McAbee said it had been stolen out of his car - and then officers discovered it had lapsed in 1999.

Judge Kenneth V. Desmond set his bail at $2,500 on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition and unlawfully discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling.

Innocent, etc.