Weekend police calls include two downtown fights involving guns — one real, one fake

Lawrence police responded over the weekend to two downtown disturbances that reportedly involved guns — one real and one that looked real but turned out to be fake.

First, here’s the incident that reportedly involved a real gun being flashed inside LeRoy’s Tavern at 729 New Hampshire St.

About 1 a.m. Monday, officers responded to a report of a disturbance with weapons, Lawrence Police Department Sgt. Amy Rhoads said in an email. One man allegedly hugged another man’s girlfriend, which led to a physical altercation and “exchange of words.” The suspect reportedly pulled up his shirt to reveal a gun in his waistband.

A 26-year-old Lawrence man was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault in connection with the incident, according to Sheriff’s Office records.

Second, here’s a street fight where the gun that got pulled wasn’t what it initially seemed.

About 10 p.m. Saturday, police headed to the area of 10th and Massachusetts streets for a report of a fight involving five or six men, Rhoads said. One person allegedly pulled out a pellet pistol and pointed it at the victim — but the pellet pistol did not have an orange tip and appeared to be a real handgun. The suspect allegedly threw the pellet pistol in the bushes before police got there, but officers found both the weapon and the suspect when they arrived.

A 25-year-old Lawrence man, whose address is listed as transient, was arrested at the scene and jailed on suspicion of aggravated assault and battery, according to Sheriff’s Office records.

Finally, if you noticed a new name on a lot of our public safety articles as of late, you noticed correctly. This month I moved from covering the Journal-World’s KU beat — which I’ve been on for the past couple of years — to take over our crime, courts and fire beat, including the Lights & Sirens blog. Read a little more about me here. Reach me by email at sshepherd@ljworld.com or by phone at 785-832-7187. I’m also on Twitter, @saramarieshep.