A Michigan man is in custody after allegedly drawing a knife, telling patrons in a Carson City bar that he was going to kill them and then leading authorities on a pursuit that ended early Thursday morning in Lyon County.
James Fowler, 48, of New Baltimore, Mich., faces two felony charges of assault with a deadly weapon in Carson City, a misdemeanor threats charge and faces additional misdemeanor charges in Lyon County.
According to the arrest report, Carson City officers were dispatched to the Schmitt House in the 4700 block of Highway 50 at about 1 a.m. after a report of threats being made to patrons with a knife and gun.
Officer arrived and saw a white Ford van that matched the description of Fowler's vehicle and proceeded to pull it over. Fowler wouldn't and then took off at a low speed, drifting through lanes. Once Fowler past the Lyon County line, the pursuit was terminated and Lyon County authorities took over.
Meanwhile officers interviewed a number of witnesses at the Schmitt House. A female witness said Fowler pulled a 12-inch knife out and asked her if she had ever seen anyone die and then threatened to kill the woman's husband, the arrest report states.
The owner of the bar told officers that he wanted to avoid a problem and asked Fowler to leave. Fowler pulled the knife from underneath his shirt and threatened another patron and charged the bar owner with the knife in his hand, saying he was going to kill people, the report stated.
At one point a witness got involved, trying to stop Fowler, who then held the knife about an inch from his neck, the report stated.
Witnesses were able to get Fowler to leave and that's when Carson City authorities began to follow the white Ford van.