Todd Gauntner, 32, is charged with using a weapon while
under intoxication in an incident that happened early Friday morning,
Willoughby police said.
Authorities said Gauntner and two other men -- Dustin Wolf,
28, and Bradley Peterson, 39 -- got into an argument that turned into a
physical brawl.
Cop with wounds from a beat down by club members
Police went about 1 a.m. to Frank and Tony's Place on 2nd
Street to investigate a report of a large fight involving several men. A
bartender told the investigators that someone pulled out a gun and put it to
someone's head, according to a police report. He did not use his
department-issued gun in the incident, the report says.
The bartender said the men fought behind the bar and broke
bottles and other items, police said. Employees at the bar tried to break up
the fight before police arrived.
The bartender can be heard crying on a 911 call saying a man
with a white shirt had a gun and that he pointed at someone's head.
Gauntner suffered minor scratches to his face. He was
arrested and placed in the Willoughby city jail, police said.
Police initially cited Wolf and Peterson with disorderly
conduct and were allowed to leave the bar. Those charges were dropped, but both
are now charged in warrants with assault, and investigators have accused them
of being the aggressors in the fight.
Gauntner is a four-year veteran of the Euclid Police
Department once honored for saving the life of a man shot 16 times, but
Gauntner's negative attention dates back to 2016.
He pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm in an incident
that happened Thanksgiving at Sims Park in Euclid. A Euclid Municipal Court
judge ordered him to pay a $235 fine and to attend counseling in that incident.
Euclid police suspended him for 90 days as they conducted an internal
investigation.
Gauntner has been placed on paid administrative leave
following Friday's incident as the department conducts an internal
investigation to determine if he broke policy, Euclid Lt. Mitch Houser said.
If it is determined Gauntner violated department rules and
regulations the most Euclid police officials can do is suspend him for two
weeks without pay, Houser said. Harsher punishment would have to come from
Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer, who also serves as the city's public safety director.
Gaunter is scheduled to appear in Willoughby Municipal Court
Thursday at 8:15 a.m. for an arraignment.
SOURCE: Cleveland.com