Maine police surround man's home after gun tattoo is mistaken for a real firearm

A Norridgewock man was woken up on Tuesday morning by Maine State Police armed with assault rifles because workers who were outside his home believed they had seen a firearm stuffed into his waistband earlier.

As it turns out, the “gun” just happened to be a really good tattoo.

When Michael Smith went and yelled at tree removal workers without wearing a shirt, they thought he had a gun and called police.

Officers arrived at his home armed to the teeth and demanded through a megaphone that Smith come out of his house. Luckily, before anything horrible happened, officers realized that the only gun Smith possesses is the life-size handgun he has tattooed on his lower stomach.

“I got plans today. I didn’t want to get shot,” Smith said after the incident was over.

“Obviously it was a misunderstanding and he didn’t have a weapon, but we had to respond to the initial report as if he did,” Maine State Police Trooper Scott Duff told the Morning Sentinel. “We take all precautions when we don’t have the details.”

Duff said that he didn’t think Smith was attempting to intimidate the workers.

“I think he had been sleeping and was wearing pajama pants,” Duff said. “I’m not sure what his mindset was, but he wasn’t pointing to his gun or anything like that.”

[Morning Sentinel]