RUTLAND, Vt. (WCAX) – Police say a fake gun was pulled on the opening day of the Vermont State Fair in Rutland.
Rutland Police responded to the fairgrounds late Tuesday night for a reported disturbance with a firearm.
According to court documents, police found Zane Turner Burrell had been handcuffed by fair security. Authorities say the 21-year-old allegedly pulled what appeared to be a firearm from his waistband and pointed it at two security officers before he was tackled to the ground by a bystander. Police later determined it was an unloaded BB gun.
“I know that security responded very, very quickly, as we would expect them to. They did a great job, and also the Rutland Police Department did a phenomenal job diffusing the situation,” said the fair’s Robert Congdon. “The actions and the patrols around the grounds were stepped up since then and we have full confidence in them, in what we hired them to do. And the grounds are safe and we’re ready for the rest of the fair.”
Turner Burrel faces multiple charges including criminal threatening.
The fair runs through Saturday.