Argument over spilled beer leads to shooting outside Pontiac bar

PONTIAC, Mich. – An argument over spilled beer led to a shooting overnight outside a bar in Pontiac, officials said.

The incident happened at 2:14 a.m. Thursday (July 29) at the Gridiron Bar and Grille on East Moncalm Street, according to authorities.

An employee at the bar told deputies that an argument broke out between two men over a spilled beer. They left the bar and went into the parking lot, where a physical fight broke out, officials said.

The employee said multiple people were involved in the fight, and she heard as many as eight gunshots, authorities said.

By the time deputies arrived, 50-60 people were emptying out of the bar’s parking lot.

Deputies found a 38-year-old Waterford Township man in the parking lot of Jimenez Tire Repair on Montcalm Street. They said he had been shot in the arm, and the bullet went through and embedded in the left side of his chest.

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The man told police that when a large fight broke out in the parking lot, he pulled out his handgun that he was “open carrying” and fired into the ground, according to officials.

He said after he fired into the ground, someone in the crowd started shooting at him, and he was struck.

Deputies secured the handgun from the 38-year-old man and found multiple spent shell casings from his gun, indicating he had fired more than once, police said.

Medical officials arrived and took him to McLaren Oakland Hospital, where he is stable.

Detectives continue to investigate the case. No suspect information has been revealed.