An Akron man was arrested early Saturday morning after he was thrown out of or barred from entering six of Youngstown’s nine downtown bars and warned to go home three times by the same police officer.
Vincent White, 23, was charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct. Police officer William Burton wrote in a report that the last straw was spotting White swinging from a light pole, knocking over construction barrels, shouting at women and threatening to kill staff of bars that wouldn’t let him inside.
Burton arrested White, of Saxon Avenue in Akron’s Kenmore neighborhood, at about 12:35 a.m. Saturday.
White had slurred speech, problems keeping his balance and a strong odor of alcohol, according to a police report
According to the police report, Burton’s encounters with White began when a pub called to say a man was invading the personal space of several women in the bar. They removed him, and he allegedly threatened members of the staff.
Two other bars followed, reporting the man was stumbling around, pushing patrons, trying to climb on stage with bands, stealing shots from bars and threatening to “shoot up” the bars after they ejected him.
Burton’s first face-to-face encounter with White was observing the man argue with a bouncer. He told White to go home and two of White’s companions agreed to escort him. Instead, they went across the street to another bar.
There, White allegedly jumped on tables and pushed patrons. He threatened to “shoot everyone in the bar” as staff forced him outside. Again, Burton said he told White to go home, and White said he would call an Uber driver to take him back.
Burton said he watched White enter another bar instead. There, White allegedly “rubbed up” on several patrons, who declined to press charges. Burton said he told White the final time to go home, and White said he was “just partying.”
“If partying is wrong,” White allegedly told the police officer, “then I don’t want to be right.”
Ten minutes later, Burton said he spotted White swinging from light poles before attempting to enter one of the bars he’d already been ejected from. That’s when White was arrested.