Council Bluffs Police, Saturday night, arrested 25-year old Benjamin Merksick, of Council Bluffs, after they were called to a shots-fired incident, outside of a bar. Merksick faces charges that include Attempted Murder, Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon, and Going Armed with Intent. He was being held in the Pottawattamie County Jail.

Benjamin Merksick

Authorities say Officers were called to Sugars Lounge int the 2700 block of E. Kanesville Blvd. at around 11:23-p.m., Saturday, in reference to a male party shooting a gun in the parking lot. When officers arrived, they noticed that two patrons had the offender, Benjamin Merksick, on the ground. Officers were able to take Merksick into custody. After further investigation it was determined that Merksick had gotten into an argument inside the establishment and went outside to his vehicle to grab a rifle. Merksick then shot the rifle several times in the vicinity of many patrons. As Merksick was attempting to reload, two of the patrons were able to take Merksick to the ground before officers arrived. There were no injuries reported at the time of the incident.

If you have any information pertaining to the incident, please contact the Council Bluffs Police Crime Stoppers at 712-328-STOP. The incident is under investigation by the Criminal Investigation Division.