A Brunswick man was arrested Friday night in Portland after displaying a rifle and threatening a Burger King employee, sparking a lengthy standoff in which a crisis negotiator and two armored vehicles were brought in, police said. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer
A Brunswick man was arrested Friday night after allegedly displaying a rifle and threatening a Burger King employee, sparking a lengthy standoff in which a crisis negotiator and two armored vehicles were brought in, police said.
Gabriel McKusick, 44, faces criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon and other charges, Portland police said in a statement Saturday morning. Officers said they found an AR-15-style rifle and nearly 60 rounds of ammunition in his vehicle.
The incident started around 7 p.m. Friday, when police were called to the 449 Forest Ave. fast-food restaurant after McKusick went through the drive-thru lane and allegedly threatened an employee before parking his vehicle in the lot.
Police secured the parking lot and evacuated nearby businesses after they were unable to get the man to leave the vehicle. Traffic was diverted off Forest Avenue.
A crisis negotiator from the Westbrook Police Department was brought in, police said, as well as an armored vehicle used by Portland’s Special Reaction Team to allow the negotiator to work safely. A second armored vehicle and emergency medical personnel were also brought to the scene.
After more than two hours of negotiation, officers used “non-lethal distraction devices” and chemical irritants to get McKusick out of the vehicle, police said. He was treated at the scene for minor cuts from broken glass and taken to Maine Medical Center before being moved to the Cumberland County Jail.
A Brunswick man was arrested Friday night in Portland after displaying a rifle and threatening a Burger King employee, police said. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer
McKusick is also charged with failure to submit to arrest or detention, illegal possession of a firearm, and creating a police standoff.
Two officers sustained minor injuries during the arrest and were treated at the scene.
A Burger King employee declined to comment Saturday. Several workers at businesses near Burger King said they were not impacted Friday because they closed prior to the incident. Another business, CVS, was open, but workers there declined to comment.
Portland police Major Robert Martin said in an email that, as of Saturday, police have not determined a motive for McKusick’s behavior, nor have they identified any relationships between him and anyone at the Burger King.
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