Police: Armed man hurls gay slurs outside LGBT club in Raleigh

RALEIGH, NC (WTVD) -- A Wake County man was arrested Monday night after going on a homophobic rant while brandishing a handgun outside a gay-friendly nightclub in downtown Raleigh.

It happened late Monday night at the Ruby Deluxe bar and nightclub on the 400 block of Salisbury Street.

The two-year-old bar bills itself as a "safe space" for the local LGBTQ community.

But Raleigh Police said one customer had other ideas on Monday; he arrived at the night spot with a backpack loaded up with a gun, a knife, and a Taser - and he was throwing around gay slurs.

Grayson Pittman, 27, of Zebulon was arrested at the scene.

RPD said Pittman got into a verbal altercation with the door person at Ruby Deluxe. And when he was told he couldn't come inside because of his aggressive behavior, Pittman allegedly pulled a holstered handgun out of the bag and put it on his hip and began yelling gay slurs.

The bar called 911. And when police arrived, officers found the gun, a fixed-blade knife, and the Taser in his bag.

In a phone interview with ABC11, the bar's owner, Tim Lemuel, said he is tightening security at the club in the wake of the incident.

"I am so grateful that he didn't get into the club," Lemuel said. "And, in the future we're actually putting in a 'no backpacks' policy. I own three clubs in Raleigh and we're gonna put in a 'no backpacks' policy in all of those just to make sure that doesn't happen. And we're gonna tell everybody else they probably should do the same thing."

Pittman has a lengthy criminal history. Monday night's incident at Ruby Deluxe was his 12th arrest since 2010.

He now stands charged with carrying a concealed weapon and disorderly conduct.