Southington Man Charged After Gun Was Shown in Bar Fight

A Mill Street resident is facing multiple charges after police said he pulled out a gun during a bar fight in an Eden Avenue restaurant and pointed it at several patrons, threatening to pull the trigger if they tried to approach him.

Officers took Brian Albert Teske, of 362 Mill St., into custody early Friday morning following an incident at the . Teske, 54, is facing charges of breach of peace, reckless endangerment and carrying a firearm while under the influence of alcohol.

“It started due to a separate incident and seemed to escalate from there,” Sgt. Lowell DePalma said. “At one point, witnesses said they saw him on the ground pointing a gun at several people before some bar patrons eventually wrestled it away from him.”

Police said the early Friday incident occurred just after midnight following an exchange between a bartender and patron Mark Stevens.

According to the police report, Stevens went to the bar and ordered a $6 glass of wine. When the bartender asked him to pay, however, he refused and said he’d already settled his tab and would not be paying for this drink.

The confrontation led to a verbal exchange in which witnesses told police that Stevens, 52, began swearing at the bartender. A patron stepped in and questioned his behavior, to which police said Stevens allegedly responded by punching the patron “square in the nose.”

The incident led several other patrons to get involved and during the scuffle, witnesses told police they heard someone yell “he has a gun” and saw Teske lying on the floor, pointing a 40-caliber semi-automatic Smith & Wesson handgun at several customers.

Officers arrived quickly and were able to break up what was left of the fight, DePalma said.

Stevens, of 20 Anthony Drive in Bristol, was issued an arrest citation on charges of breach of peace and third-degree assault and allowed to leave following the incident.

Teske, however, was taken into custody. He was released after posting a $10,000 bond and is due in Bristol Superior Court for arraignment next week, police said. Court records did not show any information regarding Teske’s arrest.