One man is in custody after a man ran through The Bay at Polo Park Shopping Centre chased by police with guns drawn.
Police were called to the mall at 10:25 a.m. on Friday, said Const. Rob Carver, for a report of a man with a handgun.
Witnesses, including an employee of Power 97, say the man was chased through The Bay by police officers before being taken down outside the mall in the parking lot.
“I saw a police car pull up to Polo Park, two officers got out of the car with guns drawn,” said Don Kollins, brand director for Power 97 who happened to be on scene.
“They walked right past me, then saw a gentleman with a red and white cap and a red and white shirt bolting into The Bay. And they yelled at him to ‘Stop, police!’ He ran into The Bay, through The Bay, Polo Park, out the front, where they tackled him and cuffed him.”
“The people at The Bay, the employees, were very, I guess, engaged in it, in that ‘Oh my god, what’s happening, police just came through with their guns drawn!’ So there was a little bit of panic by people in The Bay for sure.”
No one appeared to be hurt. Kollins said there was only one person chased and tackled by police.
An employee at The Bay told Global News she believed the suspect was carrying bolt cutters.
Const. Jay Murray said the suspect was found to have a black handgun-style pellet gun and was also carrying bolt cutters.
Police said Friday afternoon that it’s believed the man first stole a pair of shoes at a nearby business, then went to a second business and tried to steal a locked bike with the bolt cutters. When someone confronted him, he pointed the pellet gun at the person before he ran away, they added.
Power 97 is owned by Corus Entertainment, which also owns Global News.