Thanks to everyone who called/texted about police activity in The Junction just before 6 pm tonight – we happened to be en route to the Triangle Advisory Group meeting steps away and caught the end of it, just after police had cuffed a suspect (iPhone photo above). Southwest Precinct Lt. Norm James confirms the original call was about a shoplifter at the liquor store who was suspected of having a gun – that’s why police were in the area looking for him with their guns drawn – Lt. James says the suspect turned out not to be armed. Onlookers lined the sidewalk when we arrived in the area – business staffers as well as shoppers – and one bystander called out to this officer, who was putting away his rifle as he returned to his car, “Good work!”
ADDED 8:14 PM: A few more details from Lt. Ron Smith: “Officer responded to a call of a subject in the liquor store … placing a bottle in his pants pocket. Store employee confronted the subject and advised him that the police were called. The subject denied taking the bottle and was observed removing the bottle and returning the bottle to the shelf. The employee observed what she thought was a handgun in the front of his pants. The subject left the store and was contacted by patrol officers a short distance away. The subject was positively identified by store employees. No weapon was found on the subject, who appeared to be a transient with mental issues. He was transported downtown.”
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