A man accused of threatening to shoot a Connecticut mall security officer and store employee on Wednesday was arrested after a police standoff.
Officers responded to the Connecticut Post Mall in Milford on Wednesday at 5 p.m. for a report of a threatening complaint, according to the Milford Police Department.
As officers were en route to the mall, they received information that a man threatened mall security with a firearm and fled into the wooded area behind 1250 Boston Post Rd., police said.
The man’s description was relayed to officers. Afterward, an officer spotted the man, who fled into a garage on Cedar Hill Road, according to police.
The man yelled to officers that he had a hostage in the garage, which later turned out to be false, police said. After a short time, the man, identified as 36-year-old Jamar Jarrett of Bridgeport, complied with the officer’s commands and exited the garage. Police said they did not locate a firearm.
During the investigation, officers learned that a mall security officer had been contacted to respond to the American Eagle store for a shoplifting complaint. According to police, when the security officer arrived at the store, an employee pointed out the shoplifter in another store.
As they attempted to stop Jarrett, he began to run. Jarrett told the security officer and the store employee that he was going to shoot them, and they claimed that they observed him reaching toward the front area of his waistband as if he had a concealed firearm in his pants, police said.
Jarrett was positively identified by the security officer, according to police. He was found in possession of stolen items from three stores in the mall, including American Eagle, police said. The stolen merchandise from American Eagle was reportedly valued at $239.80, according to police.
Jarrett was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree robbery, sixth-degree larceny, threatening, second-degree breach of peace and interfering with an officer.
Police said Jarrett also had an active arrest warrant from the Milford Police Department for a shoplifting incident that occurred on May 14 at Macy’s. The warrant was subsequently served for the charge of fourth-degree larceny.
Jarrett also had an active remand to custody order from the Department of Parole and was turned over to the Connecticut Department of Correction. He is scheduled to appear in Milford Superior Court on July 31 for the above cases, according to police.
