Man gets prison for waving gun at teens

A man facing a lengthy prison term instead pleaded guilty Monday to a list of lesser charges that resulted from him waving a gun at a group of mostly teenagers. Phillip J. Koller, 61, was charged with first-degree assault stemming from the June 6 confrontation at his apartment near Wellesley Avenue and Assembly Street. According to the victims, Koller was urinating behind his apartment. When they confronted him, Koller yelled back and threatened to get a gun. He went inside and came outside with a handgun and began waving it around. “I apologize to those kids I accosted. It was reprehensible behavior on my part,” Koller told Superior Court Judge Maryann Moreno. “All my problems come from when I’ve been drinking.” Deputy Prosecutor Larry Steinmetz agreed to reduce the charges to one count of second-degree assault, five counts of fourth-degree assault and one count of disorderly conduct in exchange for a guilty plea. Moreno sentenced Koller, who has two previous DUI convictions, to three months in prison.