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A man has been jailed for threatening door staff with a gun at a bar in Manchester.
Darren McDermott, 31, was sentenced to 32 months in prison at Manchester Crown Court after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear at an earlier hearing.
The incident occurred on Saturday 17th March, when McDermott was drinking at the One Lounge Bar at the corner of Burton Road and Lapwing Lane.
He was intoxicated, and the bar staff refused to serve him any more drinks. Before leaving, he asked a doorman for directions to the M20 bar.
Later that night, the bouncer received a call from staff at M20 requesting assistance in ejecting McDermott from the premises after he had been refused entry.
The doorman arrived on the scene and clashed with the offender, causing him to leave while spouting a torrent of abuse.
Around 20 minutes later, McDermott was sighted in the vicinity of the One Lounge Bar with an object in his hand. When he arrived at the establishment, he pointed a sawn off shotgun at the door staff.
The bounces shut the main door of the bar, fearing for their lives and for the safety of customers, but McDermott broke a pane of glass and pointed the weapon through the hole.
He was heard shouting: “I’m gonna put a hole in somebody,” before leaving when somebody threatened to call the police.
As he passed the Great Kathmandu Restaurant on Burton Road, he smashed a windows with the barrel of the gun.
He was later arrested and found to be in possession of cocaine.
Detective Constable Dominic Heslop from South Manchester CID said: "McDermott was drunk and abusive initially towards door staff at M20 because they would not let him in. We believe he targeted the One Lounge Bar after a staff member there helped out at the incident.
"Members of the public were so frightened by the sight of the barrels pointing through the window and the noise generated by the smashing of glass, they rang 999, fearing that shots had been fired into the bar. They had no way of knowing that the barrels were incapable of firing a shot.
"The CCTV footage clearly shows the panic he caused that night and I am glad to say he has now been brought to justice."
