Police officer allegedly pulls gun at haunted house

A Baltimore city police officer was charged with assault after he pulled a gun on a haunted house character wielding a chainsaw. Baltimore County police said Sgt. Eric Janik, 36, pulled his gun on a haunted house employee dressed up as the killer from "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" at the House of Screams show in Essex on Sunday.

Police said that the employee approached Janik after the haunted house tour was over in a effort to get "one last scream." Instead, it was the employee that got a scare when Janik pulled his service weapon and pointed it at the Michael Morrison's chest, authorities said.

"I was doing my normal scene at the haunted house, and as I was going out the back door with the chainsaw, the officer pulled his gun on me. Basically, he put his gun to my chest and as I was going back in, he said he was a cop," Morrison, the man in the costume, said.



He said he dropped the chain saw, which had no chain and was not dangerous. Janik was with four other people, including his 9-year-old daughter and a female officer.

Charging documents show he denied pointing his loaded service weapon at Morrison. He said he pointed it at the ground. Police said he also appeared to be drinking.

"Callers said he seemed to be very intoxicated. In fact, the people inside the House of Screams noted that. When he was being processed, two of the officers noticed his speech was slurred and there was a moderate odour of alcohol coming from his breath. He didn't seem to be taking this quite as seriously as he should have been," said Baltimore County police spokesman Bill Toohey. Janik, a 14-year veteran, has been suspended without pay pending a formal suspension hearing.

With news video.