A South Portland man is facing multiple charges after allegedly carrying a handgun in an Old Port bar, then raising it in the air and racking the slide after walking outside.
Nicholas Whitman, 25, was arrested just after 11 p.m. Thursday after he allegedly displayed the weapon in “a threatening and reckless manner,” according to Portland police. He was arrested on charges of threating display of a weapon and possession of a weapon in an establishment licensed for on-premises consumption of liquor.
Nicholas Whitman
An employee at Bonfire Country Bar at 37 Wharf St. called police to report they had witnessed a customer leaving the bar with two other patrons while holding a handgun. The witness told police that once the man was outside on Wharf Street, he raised the semi-automatic pistol in the air and racked the slide before leaving the area with other people, according Lt. Robert Martin.
Officers found the group on Exchange Street near Fore Street and located a 9mm handgun on one of the people in Whitman’s group. Police said Whitman appeared intoxicated, and that there is no indication of an incident inside the bar that precipitated his actions, according to Martin.
Whitman was released after posting $500 bail.
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