SAUGUS, MASS. (WHDH) - A teenager from Everett has been arrested after police say broke into the Square One Mall in Saugus and stole a firearm from a sporting goods store.
Massachusetts State Police and Saugus police responded early Monday morning to reports of an “armed and dangerous intruder” inside the mall off of Route 1.
A break-in alarm at Dick’s Sporting Goods was triggered around 4 a.m. Upon arrival, police say they found the window of the store smashed out. Officers also reported seeing a suspect armed with a possible gun.
A NEMLEC SWAT team, tactical teams with K9 dogs and several surrounding police departments were called to the scene.
Authorities say the suspect, 17, broke into a locked case containing firearms, stole a long gun and took ammunition from the store’s hunting department. They say the suspect escaped the mall after a confrontation, but that he was later taken into custody at his Everett home.
“The suspect has been identified as a 16-year-old juvenile from Everett,” Saugus Police Chief Domenic Dimella said.
The suspect’s name has not been released, but police say they were able to identify him through surveillance video.
Officers searched the mall multiple times during the hours-long standoff. A police perimeter was set up around the mall. Authorities say they are still searching for the stolen weapon.
Employees responding to work were kept outside and away at a safe distance from the mall.
“We weren’t allowed to go in there because there was a gunman in Dick’s Sporting Goods,” an employee said.
Saugus schools sheltered in place during the search.
There were no reports of injuries. The mall was shutdown for more than 8 hours. The mall reopen Monday afternoon, but Dick’s remained closed pending an investigation.
“They’ve been storing guns there for quite sometime and it’s never been an issued, but we are going to go over that from top to bottom,” Dimella said.
The suspect is expected to appear in court Tuesday on an array of charges, including theft of a firearm and breaking and entering.
The incident is under investigation.
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