Original Blog Entry: Police with rifles subdue shopper denied a refund

truesee — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:09:04 GMT

4:47 p.m. Dec. 2, 2009

Armed cops subdue angry shopper denied a refund at Oakland Mall

KORIE WILKINS

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

Four Troy police officers, armed with rifles, stormed into an Oakland Mall store today after a man angry that he couldn t return an Xbox without a receipt threatened to kill someone.

It was an interesting day here at the GameStop, said store employee David Roman.

According to Lt. Michael Lyczkowski, the 43-year-old Detroit man went into the store at about 11 a.m. After a store employee wouldn t allow him to return the Xbox, the man became irate and made threats. A store employee called 911, saying the man went out to get something from his vehicle.

When police arrived, they used a tactic called active shooter response, meaning a team of officers works to stop an immediate threat. Roman said coworkers told him officers put employees and a handful of customers in a back room and threw the man up against a counter, handcuffing him.

The man, whose name is not being released pending the issuance of charges, did not have a firearm. But officers found a stun gun in the man s handbag, which is illegal in Michigan, Lyczkowski said.

He said he needed it for protection, Lyczkowski said.

No one was injured in the incident and the man remains in police custody. Lyczkowski said the man could face charges for possession of a stun gun, a four-year felony, and disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor.

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