Attack against mother was over $2

An Oak Creek man who is accused of slashing his mother with a knife and shooting her three times with an AK-47 told police that he committed the acts after she refused to give him $2 to pay a cover charge to get into a bar, according to a criminal complaint.

The man, Frederick W. Bertrang of the 8600 block of S. Fenway Court, also told Oak Creek officers that he slashed his mother, and stabbed his brother's girlfriend, in self-defence and that he fired multiple shots to scare the two women and his brother, the complaint says.

According to the complaint: Bertrang, who turns 31 on Wednesday, had been to a bar Thursday. He returned home about 10:30 p.m. and asked his mother, Patricia Bertrang, for the $2. After she told him not to go out again, Fred Bertrang slashed his mother in the left hand.

Fred Bertrang's brother, Michael Bertrang, tried to help his mother and his girlfriend, Jessica Brandt, called 911.

Fred Bertrang then stabbed Brandt twice in the right leg and fled to the basement, where he began firing an AK-47 rifle into the basement's ceiling. Patricia Bertrang was wounded three times in the left leg.

Fred Bertrang is charged with first-degree reckless injury with use of a dangerous weapon, which carries a maximum prison term of 30 years; and with second-degree recklessly endangering safety with a dangerous weapon, which carries a maximum prison term of 15 years.