A Gainesville man accused of punching a police officer at a downtown nightclub was arrested early Friday morning.
Police arrested Drew Carlton, 21, of 5616 NW 42nd Road, on a charge of battery on a law enforcement officer, a third-degree felony, according to a Gainesville Police arrest report.
At about 1 a.m. Friday, GPD received a call from :08 nightclub staff members about a man telling patrons he was armed with a .45-caliber handgun.
When police arrived at the club, at 201 W. University Ave., officers met with Carlton, who is a paramedic, and patted him down for the weapon, according to the report.
Police did not find the gun and told Carlton the staff wanted him to leave. Carlton became agitated and refused to leave the property.
After police told him five times to leave, Carlton left while cursing at the officers. Police confronted Carlton again and told him to calm down, warning him that he would be arrested.
Carlton approached the officer, clenching his fists, and raised his arms as if he was going to strike the officer, according to the report.
The officer pushed away Carlton, who responded by punching the officer in the throat.
Police arrested Carlton and booked him into the Alachua County Jail at 1:43 a.m. Friday. He was released later that afternoon on his own recognizance.
Contact Chris Alcantara at calcantara@alligator.org.
