Police are searching for a shoplifting suspect who fired a gun during a struggle with a security officer in a store in Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream Monday, causing stores in the mall to go into a lockdown protocol and area schools to briefly institute lockout procedures.
Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said the incident occurred at 11:11 a.m. inside a second-floor clothing store called Clique, and said that after the suspect discharged his weapon, he fled to a red sport utility vehicle in the attached parking garage. He was wearing a shirt, boxer shorts and one sneaker.
After a sweep of the mall by patrol officers, as well as officers from the Bureau of Special Operations, Emergency Services Unit and State police, Ryder said the mall was reopened.
Ryder said video surveillance from the mall showed the vehicle fled east on Mill Road. He also said no weapon was recovered.
No one was struck by the discharged round, which Ryder said “went into the ground.”
Ryder said police recovered a spent round and a shell casing.
Ryder said the incident began when a security agent confronted the suspect, who was attempting to shoplift items by layering clothing under his own clothes.
When confronted, Ryder said the suspect told the security agent he was armed.
“He started to struggle with him and then said, ‘I’ve got a gun,’ and pulled his gun out,” Ryder said. During the ensuing struggle the shot was discharged, he added.
The security agent was unarmed, Ryder said.
Once the shot was fired, Ryder said the mall “went into immediate lockdown,” which included both automatic and manually operated gates being closed in front of all stores to prevent the suspect from entering any of those businesses and to protect patrons, Ryder said. He said schools were then notified of the suspect at large and instituted lockout procedures designed to keep anyone from entering the school and preventing students from leaving.
He said that following a detailed…
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