Billings Man Charged With Assault After Attempting to Choke Another Man

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A man is facing an assault charge after he reportedly attempted to choke a man at a Billings park, stopping only after he was threatened with a pistol.

The Billings Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/1PR6xaN ) 37-year-old Levi James Petroff was charged with aggravated assault in Yellowstone County Court on Monday in connection with the alleged attack.

Court documents say Petroff arrived at the park to find his wife sitting with the other man inside a truck. Petroff jumped in the back of the truck, broke through the back window and began choking the man.

The man said he began to lose consciousness, but eventually managed to free himself. He grabbed his pistol and threatened Petroff with it.

Petroff told police he had acted in self-defense and left the scene after the man drew the gun.