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The haunted house in Essex is billed as "The House of Screams," but it was the man portraying the Texas Chainsaw Massacre killer who ended up frightened, authorities say, when an off-duty Baltimore police officer pulled his gun and pointed it at the actor during a performance at Eastpoint Mall.
Baltimore County officers arrested Southeastern District Sgt. Eric Michael Janik, 36, and charged him early Monday with first- and second-degree assault and reckless endangerment. He was released on $25,000 bail and was suspended by the Baltimore Police Department.
"I've never had anything like this happen to me," said Michael Brian Morrison, a 32-year-old contractor who helps run the privately owned haunted house and played the part of "Leatherface." The owners rent space from the Baltimore County mall on Eastern Avenue.
Morrison is at the end of the haunted house tour and threatens people with a chain saw (with the sharp chain removed). He said Janik's group, which went through Sunday a little after 10 p.m. and included a female city police officer and the sergeant's 9-year-old daughter, were rowdy.
He said the sergeant held his screaming daughter close to scary characters and that when it came time to give chase, "I went after the adults" because the girl was crying.
A Baltimore County police report says Morrison approached Janik while he revved the gas-powered saw; when he came within a few feet, "Janik pointed a black handgun as his chest."
Morrison said he put his hands in the air, and the police report says Janik stated, "It's o.k. I'm a cop." He said the officer's daughter was tugging the sleeve of the arm with the gun and that after he put the weapon away, the sergeant approached him to shake his hand.
The report says the officer went back to his car, where a county officer first encountered him sitting in the front passenger seat. Janik rolled down the window and the officer noted in the report that "a strong odor of alcohol" could be detected. The report says that both Janik and the other officer in the car, Lisa Michelle Hinkley, showed their city police badges.
"When asked if he had at any time pulled his handgun out of its holster for any reason while attending the haunted house, Defendant Janik stated 'no,' " the police report says. Janik told the officer that his daughter "may have pulled on his shirt and accidentally showed it."
But police said witnesses, including a tour guide and another worker, told them the sergeant pointed the gun at Morrison's chest. Police said they returned to Janik and wrote in a report that he "changed his version of events and stated that he did pull his weapon out and pointed it at the ground." He told officers that Morrison "did not stop advancing toward him" and that while he knew it was part of the show, he pulled his gun "to stop him."
Police said in the report that the green Carlton chain saw "did not cause a threat of bodily harm." The report also stated that Janik had slurred speech, but officers did not administer a breath test.
Janik, reached by telephone at his home, declined to comment. His attorney with the city Fraternal Order of Police union, Shaun Owens, also declined comment.
Baltimore police chief spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said Janik could be suspended without pay at a formal hearing later this week. "These allegations are incredibly concerning, and we are committed to holding our officers accountable," Guglielmi said. "We won't tolerate any behavior that undermines the integrity of the agency and the hard work of our police officers."
Morrison said that the haunted house opens again Wednesday and that he'll be back in his familiar role. "I'll probably be a bit more leery," he said.
Baltimore County officers arrested Southeastern District Sgt. Eric Michael Janik, 36, and charged him early Monday with first- and second-degree assault and reckless endangerment. He was released on $25,000 bail and was suspended by the Baltimore Police Department.
"I've never had anything like this happen to me," said Michael Brian Morrison, a 32-year-old contractor who helps run the privately owned haunted house and played the part of "Leatherface." The owners rent space from the Baltimore County mall on Eastern Avenue.
Morrison is at the end of the haunted house tour and threatens people with a chain saw (with the sharp chain removed). He said Janik's group, which went through Sunday a little after 10 p.m. and included a female city police officer and the sergeant's 9-year-old daughter, were rowdy.
He said the sergeant held his screaming daughter close to scary characters and that when it came time to give chase, "I went after the adults" because the girl was crying.
A Baltimore County police report says Morrison approached Janik while he revved the gas-powered saw; when he came within a few feet, "Janik pointed a black handgun as his chest."
Morrison said he put his hands in the air, and the police report says Janik stated, "It's o.k. I'm a cop." He said the officer's daughter was tugging the sleeve of the arm with the gun and that after he put the weapon away, the sergeant approached him to shake his hand.
The report says the officer went back to his car, where a county officer first encountered him sitting in the front passenger seat. Janik rolled down the window and the officer noted in the report that "a strong odor of alcohol" could be detected. The report says that both Janik and the other officer in the car, Lisa Michelle Hinkley, showed their city police badges.
"When asked if he had at any time pulled his handgun out of its holster for any reason while attending the haunted house, Defendant Janik stated 'no,' " the police report says. Janik told the officer that his daughter "may have pulled on his shirt and accidentally showed it."
But police said witnesses, including a tour guide and another worker, told them the sergeant pointed the gun at Morrison's chest. Police said they returned to Janik and wrote in a report that he "changed his version of events and stated that he did pull his weapon out and pointed it at the ground." He told officers that Morrison "did not stop advancing toward him" and that while he knew it was part of the show, he pulled his gun "to stop him."
Police said in the report that the green Carlton chain saw "did not cause a threat of bodily harm." The report also stated that Janik had slurred speech, but officers did not administer a breath test.
Janik, reached by telephone at his home, declined to comment. His attorney with the city Fraternal Order of Police union, Shaun Owens, also declined comment.
Baltimore police chief spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said Janik could be suspended without pay at a formal hearing later this week. "These allegations are incredibly concerning, and we are committed to holding our officers accountable," Guglielmi said. "We won't tolerate any behavior that undermines the integrity of the agency and the hard work of our police officers."
Morrison said that the haunted house opens again Wednesday and that he'll be back in his familiar role. "I'll probably be a bit more leery," he said.
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(Reposting, ignore previous post, lots of funny characters from a copy and paste.)
Fair enough. I'll make one final comment and put this one to rest:
Based on past experience, I fully admit that I very quickly empathized with the worker when I read this article and watched his video interview. I know firsthand the feeling of having a handgun aimed at my chest (I assure you, not a pleasant experience); so rightly or wrongly, yes, I could easily identify with him. Is that really fair to the officer? Obviously not, but I will readily admit that at this time, I do believe the worker's version. Granted, I don't know either man, for all I know each could be a habitual liar, or be exaggerating, or have an axe to grind, or whatever. (Final note to self: when rephrasing a sentence, and attempting to change the word 'CAREFULLY' to 'CAREFUL', cut the 'LY', not the 'FUL'). ;-)
j_dunn (10/29/2009, 1:06 PM )