A Butler man has been charged with simple assault after a verbal altercation took a menacing turn outside the 7-Eleven on East Jefferson Street in the early evening of May 5, police said.

According to police, Joel Driscoll, 36, accused a man of “staring him down.” During the confrontation, police said Driscoll produced a handgun from his lap and chambered a bullet into the firearm while repeatedly asking the man “Do you think I’m scared?”

Police said Driscoll fled the scene in a blue Subaru. The man reported the vehicle’s license plate number to authorities, which led police to Driscoll.

The charge, a second-degree misdemeanor, was filed May 23.

A preliminary hearing for Driscoll is scheduled for 10 a.m. on July 31 before District Judge William Fullerton.