Police: Man assaulted bar manager, friend

By Laura Acuff (Tolentino)

A 21-year-old College Station man posted bail Sunday following his arrest on multiple charges after police said he pointed a gun at the manager at Hurricane Harry's and tried to choke a friend outside the College Station bar.

At about 11 p.m. Saturday, College Station police were called to the business at 313 South College Avenue, where manager Lance Larsen said Michael Lee Brown became violent after Larsen had him escorted outside for repeatedly trying to chug a pitcher of beer, an act prohibited by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, court documents state.

Once outside, Brown began to fight with his two roommates, both women, who were attempting to dissuade him from driving while intoxicated, the documents state, adding that one woman had been dating him almost a year.

Brown proceeded to wrap his right arm around one of the women, applying pressure and impeding breath for an estimated 30 seconds, only letting go when the other roommate pushed him down, the documents state.

The two women followed Brown, who ran to his vehicle, but the women then fled, screaming "he's got a gun," police said.

According to police documents, Larsen, who was on the phone with police, said he saw Brown approaching him with the handgun tucked into his pants. After reportedly realizing police were on the line, Brown ran back to his car and drove it in front of the bar. He yelled for Larsen to approach the car, the pistol held in his right hand on top of the steering wheel and pointing in Larsen's direction, police said.

Larsen said he quickly moved farther from the vehicle, and Brown began to drive away, witnesses told police. The women, meanwhile, hid behind cars in the parking lot until Brown started driving off, police said.

As officers drove up, Brown made a U-turn into a parking space and that's when police approached him, documents state.

Police found an .45-caliber pistol with its hammer cocked, one round in the chamber and seven rounds in the magazine.

Brown was arrested on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, resisting arrest and assault by strangulation of a member of his household, a third-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Both felonies can carry a $10,000 fine. Resisting arrest is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine up to $4,000.

Brown was released on $39,000 bond.

published in The Eagle