Man arrested after pointing gun at Elbow Room employees in Bismarck

Dec 12, 2023

by: Nick Jachim, Joel Porter

Posted: Jun 9, 2023 / 01:22 PM CDT

Updated: Jun 9, 2023 / 01:22 PM CDT

BISMARCK, N.D. (KXNET) — A 32-year-old Denver man was arrested after he pointed a gun at Elbow Room employees who were outside the front door of the bar and threatened them around 12:59 a.m. on June 3.

According to the police affidavit, several Elbow Room employees were standing outside of the bar after the bar was closed and patrons were leaving. In the parking lot, a pickup was doing a burnout and squealing the tires. The employees called out to the pickup to knock it off when the driver, Manuel Portillo-Sanchez, stepped out of the pickup, leaned over the hood of the vehicle, and placed a handgun on the hood pointing in the employees’ direction.

The employees yelled at Sanchez to put the gun away when the passenger of the pickup stepped out of the vehicle and stopped Sanchez. He then threw the gun into the truck and approached the employees, telling them that he would "beat their ass" while taking his shirt off.

The passenger of the pickup intervened once again, getting Sanchez back into the pickup and driving away.

Police stated that when they arrived all of the employees stated that they felt threatened and that their lives were in danger.

Officers later located the vehicle on E. Divide Ave and E. Bismarck Expressway and conducted a felony stop. An initial search found two handguns in the vehicle (both were unloaded) and two fully loaded magazines.

Police then arrested Sanchez and charged him with Terrorizing with a Dangerous Weapon (Class C Felony) and Driving under the Influence and/or Refusal (Class B Misdemeanor).

A preliminary hearing for Sanchez is currently scheduled for July 10.

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