PORTLAND, Maine — Update 8:15 a.m. (Saturday, June 24, 2023):
Police have identified the man involved in a police standoff outside of a Burger King in Portland as Gabriel McKusick, 44, of Brunswick. He has been taken into custody.
According to a press release from the Portland Police Department's interim assistant chief of police Robert Martin, officers responded to the Burger King at 449 Forest Avenue just after 7 p.m. Friday, June 23. There were reports that a man went through the drive-through lane, threatening an employee and showing a gun, then driving away into the parking lot.
Martin said officers found the car and McKusick, the driver, in the parking lot. They reportedly had a difficult time getting him to cooperate and come out of the car. Martin said that's when more officers arrived to secure the parking lot and evacuate nearby businesses. A crisis negotiator from the Westbrook Police Department also arrived.
After more than two hours of negotiations, officers used non-lethal distraction devices and chemical irritants to get McKusick out of the car, according to Martin. He was treated on scene for minor cuts from broken glass. Martin said he was then taken to Maine Medical Center before being brought to Cumberland County Jail.
Martin said his team found an AR-15 rifle with almost 60 rounds of ammunition in McKusick's car. He has been charged with Criminal Threatening with a Dangerous Weapon, Failure to Submit to Arrest or Detention, Illegal Possession of a Firearm and Creating a Police Standoff.
Martin said two officers were minorly hurt during the incident and were treated on scene. Investigators are asking anyone with information to call them at 207-874-8575.
Update 9:50 p.m. (Friday, June 23, 2023):
The man involved in a police standoff outside a Burger King in Portland has been taken into custody, authorities say.
He's being evaluated by EMS, according to a tweet from the Portland Police Department.
The Westbrook Police Department sent a crisis negotiator to the scene, the tweet stated.
Information on charges won't be available until Saturday, police said.
This came after a NEWS CENTER Maine crew at the scene reported hearing multiple loud bangs and seeing smoke.
Original story (Friday, June 23, 2023):
Police responded, and a standoff ensued after a Burger King employee was threatened in Portland on Friday evening, a witness says.
The employee who was threatened told NEWS CENTER Maine a man came through the restaurant drive-thru with a gun, flicked it, and said he'd "get her later."
After that, the man parked near Burger King on Forest Avenue. The incident happened around 7 p.m.
A standoff ensued, and the man hasn't gotten out of his vehicle since, according to the witness.
Police from Portland and Westbrook were spotted at the scene.
In a Twitter post, the Portland Police Department said "a potentially armed subject" is in a vehicle, and traffic is being diverted off of Forest Avenue.
Police are advising people to stay clear of the area.