Towanda man allegedly waved gun, yelled racial slurs at bar, arrested
TOWANDA, Pa. (WETM) — A Towanda man was arrested on Sunday following an incident at a bar where police said he caused a disturbance after displaying a gun and yelling racial slurs while intoxicated.
Brian O'Keefe Kithcart, 51, of Towanda, was arrested on Sunday, March 16, on the following charges:
Aggravated assault, a grade two felony.
Possession of a prohibited firearm, a grade two felony.
Resisting arrest, a grade two misdemeanor.
Terroristic threats with intent to terrorize another, a grade one misdemeanor.
Simple assault, a grade two misdemeanor.
Simple assault, a grade two misdemeanor.
Disorderly conduct, engaging in a fight, a grade three misdemeanor.
Disorderly conduct, obscene language/gesture, a grade three misdemeanor.
Public drunkenness and similar misconduct, a summary offense.
Around midnight on March 15, Towanda Police were dispatched to a report of a man who was waving a gun around a bar on Bridge Street in the Borough, according to an affidavit.
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As police approached the bar, they were told the suspect had left the scene. Officers noticed two people on Bridge Street away from the bar. Police spoke with the two, who were later identified as Kithcart and a woman he was with, and noted what they were wearing and sitting on the porch of an apartment.
Once at the bar, police spoke with several witnesses who provided a description of Kithcart and said he was using racial slurs while holding his gun. Police knew they were referring to the people they had just spoken with so the officers returned to the residence on Bridge Street.
Kithcart was still on the porch when police arrived with the report saying Kithcart took a metallic object from his lap and tossed it inside the apartment, making a loud thud when it hit the ground.
Kithcart was ordered to the ground by officers to which he became argumentative and tried to push police away from him when they attempted to grab him. Eventually, Kithcart was shocked with a Taser, and required even more force to get into custody as he was lying on his arms, the affidavit reports.
A female came out of the house once Kithcart was in custody and was asked about the gun. The woman showed the officers that the gun was still where Kithcart threw it when they first arrived, on the doorframe just inside the apartment.
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The .380 caliber pistol was secured with the report saying the chamber was empty, but six rounds were in the magazine. It was learned later that the weapon did not belong to Kithcart, as he is unable to possess a pistol since he has felony charges on his record out of New York State.
The female told police that the two were drinking and playing pool at the bar when Kithcart kept yelling out racial slurs. When the two were asked to leave, two African Americans walked out of the bar. The woman told police Kithcart had pulled out the pistol and cocked it, but tensions settled and the two left to go back to the apartment.
Kithcart was taken to a local hospital to have the prongs removed from when he was shocked. From there he was taken for processing and denied bail at the Bradford County Correctional Facility.
Kithcart has a preliminary hearing scheduled for March 26 at 10 a.m.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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