Man accused of robbing store with rifle arrested at the Mall of America

By WDIO

(KSTP)

One man is in custody on Friday, after allegedly carrying a rifle into the Mall of America and robbing a Lids store, according to Bloomington police.

A news release from the Bloomington Police Department says Mall of America security contacted officers after a caller said a man carrying a rifle had entered the mall. Mall security was able to locate the man as he exited the Lids store on the southeast side of the third floor of the mall, according to the news release.

Bloomington police officers arrived and took the man into custody. According to police, the man is suspected of committing an armed robbery inside the store. At the time of the arrest, the man was carying a rifle.

The mall said in a statement that security “immediately became aware of the situation” and arrested the man without incident. It said the mall wasn’t locked down because the arrest was immediate.

The incident came after the mall was locked down Aug. 4 when a man fired shots in front of a Nike store following a fight. No one was injured in that shooting. Two people were later arrested in the case.

Police say a vehicle associated with the alleged suspect was found in the mall parking ramp. A search warrant for the vehicle is pending.

Investigators believe that the man had also committed a robbery at Twin City Pawn in Minneapolis earlier Friday afternoon.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.