ILION, NY — A Utica man was arrested May 12 after allegedly firing a gunshot inside a Utica establishment earlier this month.
Antar Handy, 36, of Utica, was taken into custody after investigators with the Utica Police GIVE Unit and members of the U.S. Marshal Fugitive Task Force located him in Ilion.
Police said officers were outside 222 Bleecker St. in Utica at approximately 1:10 a.m. May 9, 2026, when they heard what they believed to be a gunshot from inside the establishment.
A supervisor on scene notified dispatch and other officers, then made entry inside.
Multiple people were fleeing the establishment and the supervisor observed several people fighting on the ground.
Security staff informed officers that a shot had been discharged and they had fought with the male who fired the shot, disarming him and pushing the gun behind the bar area.
Officers secured the weapon, a loaded Glock 9mm handgun, and conducted a safety sweep of the premises to ensure there were no injured parties.
The identity of the suspect was not known at the time and the scene was secured.
Surveillance footage later showed the suspect had rushed past security while brandishing the handgun in an attempt to engage another male.
Security staff intervened, struggled with the suspect and disarmed him after the shot was fired.
The suspect, who had fled upon officers’ entry, was positively identified through security footage and officer body worn cameras.
Investigators learned May 12 that the suspect was at a location in Ilion and set up surveillance.
The suspect was stopped in a vehicle as it left the location.
Personnel from the Utica Police GIVE Unit, U.S. Marshal Fugitive Task Force and Ilion Police Department attempted to take the suspect into custody, but he actively and aggressively fought with officers until he was placed in handcuffs.
Handy was transported to the Utica Police Department and charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree for a previous conviction and an extended magazine, criminal possession of a firearm and reckless endangerment in the first degree.
Additional charges may be filed.
