A 25-year-old Hermitage man was arrested Thursday morning after he attempted to kill his girlfriend at her home in Sharon the night before, police said.

Johnny O. Kirby, 1385 Bolde Drive, Hermitage, was being held in Mercer County Jail after failing to post $100,000 bond on charges of criminal attempted homocide, making terroristic threats, simple assault, resisting arrest and firearms violations, police said.

According to a police affidavit on file in the Sharon office of District Justice James E. McMahon:

Kirby told his girlfriend over the phone Wednesday that he was going to kill her when she got off work that night. He warned her that she should "get their stuff together because she was going to die."

Later that night, Kirby lay in wait outside her house waiting for her to return home from work. When she drove home and saw him, she sped away and he chased her. She later circled back home and went inside, as Kirby stopped to get something from the rear of his sport-utility vehicle.

Kirby approached the girl's father at the house and asked to see her, but her father refused and noticed a shiny object that looked like a firearm in Kirby's right hand. He told Kirby the police were called and he drove away.

Moments later in the 100 block of Sherman Avenue, police struggled with Kirby, who kicked, pushed and tried to pull away. In the process of arresting him, police suffered minor injuries and had to use the force of a baton and pepper spray.

Police searched Kirby's SUV and found a chrome-plated semi-automatic .25-caliber handgun, which he wasn't licensed to carry, in the rear hatch.

Police said finding the gun made them believe he intended to carry out his threat.

A preliminary hearing was set for 1:30 p.m. Thursday before McMahon.