AMHERST — A Nashua cab driver under assault from a passenger pulled out a handgun and kept the man at bay until police arrived, authorities said.

Brian Paradise, 48, of Nashua, was taking a passenger from Nashua to Amherst when he was assaulted while the passenger apparently attempted to avoid paying the cab tab, police said.

Paradise displayed a handgun, for which he is licensed to conceal, just before 1 a.m. on Route 101A near Northern Boulevard.

Police arrested Jarrod Brouillette, 25, of Amherst, and charged him with simple assault, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. He was later released on $3,000 personal recognizance bail pending arraignment in Milford on Jan. 9.