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Neighbors say man terrorized them for weeks

Posted at 11:25 PM, Sep 19, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-20 18:38:56-04
People living in a northwest valley neighborhood near Grand Teton Drive and Hualapai Way say a man has been terrorizing them for weeks. They say he waves guns at them, throws beer bottles and curses at them.
 
Neighbors say Walter Laak started acting erratically about two weeks ago.
 
"Waving his gun up in the air saying I'm gonna burn this place down, I'm gonna burn this place down," said one neighbor who we will not identify.
 
The people living on the same street as him say he would put speakers at the end of his driveway, blast terrible music during all hours of the night, all while getting drunk and smashing beer bottles.
 
"He would throw them from his front door and then go right back inside or stand there at his front door and look at you," said a neighbor. "He would never come out in the open."
 
The neighbors say Laak would throw the beer bottles at them, at their homes, and at their cars, causing damage multiple times.
 
 
"We were told by authorities that he is very dangerous and if you see him, go the other way, lock yourself in your house, he is armed."
 
An incident 30 miles across town led to his arrest. He allegedly attacked a pastor, beat him, tried to run him over twice and then shot multiple times at his home. The attack paired with the alleged terrorizing of his neighborhood has brought on multiple charges including attempted murder, stalking and assault with a deadly weapon.
 
"How does someone like this even get into a neighborhood like ours?"
 
The erratic behavior actually forced some of these families to leave their homes for about a week. Now that Laak has been arrested, they're back home and their minds are a little bit at ease.
 
"At any point, he can get out of jail and come right back so when does it stop? Or when is the next incident that starts to happen?"
 
The Review-Journal wrote an article about Laak back in 2010. In the article, they talk about how Laak was acquitted of murder and found not guilty of a rape charge.
 
13 Action News spoke with Laak's mother Monday. She says her son is a former Marine and suffers from PTSD.
 
If you want to help the pastor who was allegedly attacked by Laak, you can click here.