Instagram pic of armed man perched above Newton Falls bar leads to arrest

Shayne Battison

A Newton Falls man was booked into the county jail after deputies rushed to a downtown bar to investigate reports that there was an armed man on the roof.

Trumbull 911 dispatch received a call on Wednesday that a photo posted on Instagram showed a man with a rifle crouching above Faces Lounge overlooking West Broad Street.

The photo, which had been uploaded four hours before deputies arrived, was shared with investigators by a man whose hands were shaking and who told the deputy he was worried about the safety of his family.

Deputies identified the man holding the gun in the picture as 20-year-old Shayne Battison, who lives in an apartment above the bar.

Battison was summoned downstairs and arrested. His .22 caliber Smith & Wesson rifle and its empty magazine were taken as evidence.

The deputy said in his report that several residents expressed being afraid, asking him if there was an active shooter.

Another person asked the deputy if it was safe to take his daughter to dance class, and a business owner asked if he should close for the safety of the public.

An employee who runs a bingo game asked if there was an active shooter and whether that day’s game should be called off.

Battison is being charged with inducing panic as well as having a weapon under a disability.  The report says because of a felony charge when Battison was still a juvenile, he is not permitted to own a firearm.