WASHINGTON — Facing an earful from angry constituents at a town hall this weekend, Rep. Joe Barton at one point told a loud attendee to "shut up" — setting off even more heated reactions.

In video clips of the incident, Barton can be seen trying to quiet down the raucous town hall in the Navarro County town of Frost after a question on a bill regarding violence against women. Barton, an Arlington Republican, begins explaining that he voted against a previous bill on the issue because he believes it is a state issue, not a federal issue, to which the audience responded with a mix of applause and boos.

“It’s violence against women, that’s a national issue,” one attendee can be heard yelling. “That is an issue that impacts everyone everywhere, not only in this country but everywhere.”

After trying unsuccessfully to speak over the dissenters, Barton eventually lost his cool.

“You,” he said, pointing to a man in the audience. “You, sir, shut up.”

The command didn't have its intended effect, instead prompting several attendees to break into even more vocal outrage.

“What is that?" one man can be heard yelling. "You don’t tell anybody to shut up!”

Despite the uproar at the town hall, another attendee who considers himself no fan of Barton's defended the congressman on his Facebook page after the event. Kirk Lee, who said he didn't vote for Barton and doesn't intend to in the future, argued the incident "should not be used as a 'gotcha' moment" against the congressman.

“I believe Rep. Barton was embarrassed by it and it was not representative of his attitude as a whole,” Lee said. “I know if I had been in his shoes I would have said much worse.”

Lee said Barton clearly laid out ground rules before the event, including “no cursing, no yelling, no violence.”

“There were times that it appeared that he was under siege, and to his credit he stood and answered all questions as best he could,” Lee said.

In a written statement on the incident, Barton said the man he told to quiet down was being disruptive by talking over himself and others. But Barton said he went back to him for the last question of the meeting to make sure he got a chance to voice his concerns.

"I appreciate the interest and participation at every town hall meetings I host," Barton said.

Frost wasn't the only place Barton encountered angry constituents. About 200 people drove from Tarrant County to confront him in Milford, according to one attendee. The influx led Barton’s team to change the location of the town hall from a small room in a senior center to a school gymnasium.

As the dean of the Texas congressional delegation — the longest continually serving member — Barton has held plenty of town halls in past years. But amid a highly charged political atmosphere, most Texas Republicans have declined to hold town hall events so far this year, fearing the type of outrage theater that Barton faced.

Close to 1,000 people attended a town hall held by Rep. Michael Burgess in Flower Mound last weekend, many of them Obamacare supporters looking to harangue one of the key architects of the House GOP's replacement efforts.

Barton still took criticism after announcing his town halls because he chose to host them in two small towns an hour away from the most populous area of his district, Arlington. A spokesman for Barton said the congressman will hold more town halls in April, including in Tarrant County.