Nathan Bysouth, of Bendigo, faced several charges, including assault, assault with a weapon and possessing a prohibited handgun, in the Bendigo Magistrates Court yesterday.

Bysouth was not required to enter a plea but the court was told he had denied all charges, telling police he was somewhere else at the time of the incident.

Police allege Bysouth was driven to the Newmarket Hotel bottle shop about 4.30pm on Saturday.

“He then engaged in a verbal argument with a man and woman walking past,” police informant Detective Senior Constable Lloyd Twycross said.

He said the argument escalated, with onlookers taking sides.

“The accused then produced a sawn-off .22 rifle and pointed it in the direction of the bottle shop attendant and other people.’’ Police say Bysouth had left by the time the police arrived. He was later arrested in Murphy Street.

A police search also located a sawn-off rifle nearby similar to the one witnesses at the Newmarket Hotel had described.

In court yesterday police successfully applied for a DNA sample from Bysouth to help with their case.

“We believe there is material on this rifle which will link the defendant to it,” Detective Senior Constable Twycross said.

Bysouth intended to apply for bail but no lawyer from the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service was available.

He was remanded to appear in the Bendigo Magistrates Court for a bail hearing today.