Reports of a gun-wielding patron at the Bridge Inn Hotel on Tuesday morning have been called a “false alarm.”
Epping police responded to a call about a man who trekked across a paddock towards the Mernda hotel with a gun in hand.
The call came from someone sitting in their car in the pub’s car park.
The witness said the man walked across the paddock holding a gun before stuffing it into his pants and entering the hotel.
Epping Sergeant Brad Turney said the witness was between 20 and 50 metres away from the man at the time.
He said police found the man in question and conducted a search only to discover that he wasn’t carrying a firearm.
“He was there to have a smoke and a beer,” he said.
Police are assessing CCTV footage to double-check for signs of a weapon.
The man was taken to Epping police station for further questioning.
More than five police cars were initially sent to investigate.
