A Hamilton man is facing multiple charges after challenging people to a fight in an east end bar Saturday, and then taking a swing at a police officer who showed up to question him.

Police first received calls about a man causing a disturbance on Kenilworth Avenue North just before 8 p.m. The man was being "confrontational with staff" and challenging other guests to a fight, police say.

He was asked to leave, and that's when the man allegedly grabbed a hammer from the tool belt he was wearing and started swinging it around and banging it on the walls inside, police say.

The man did eventually leave, and officers found him nearby trying to order pizza.

As the officers approached, the man was seen "reaching for his hammer," police say, before he instead took a swing at the officer's face with a closed fist.

The officer dodged the punch, and arrested the man after a "brief struggle," police say.

A 55-year-old Hamilton man was charged with causing a disturbance and breaching his probation. He was released on a promise to appear in court.