Police track down man who allegedly made "threatening remarks" about Burlington Mall
There were safety concerns at a mall in Massachusetts Sunday evening after a man allegedly threatened a mass shooting.
According to Burlington Police, the man entered the BP gas station on Washington Street in Woburn at around 5:30 p.m. and "made threatening remarks" about the Burlington Mall while speaking to a clerk there.
"This guy just said that in about an hour or so, there's going to be someone in the Burlington Mall with an AR-15," said the gas station cashier, who asked that his name not be used for safety reasons. "When he came into the store, he didn't purchase anything at all. He just came up to me and he said that there was going to be a shooting at Burlington Mall."
The cashier said he didn't say anything back but was shocked.
"I was very confused because we get a lot of characters coming into the store," said the cashier. "Are they joking or are they for real? That's the decision that I had to make."
The cashier called police just to be safe and they searched for the suspect at the mall.
No threat at Burlington Mall
Stores at the mall closed at 6 p.m. and Burlington Police and Massachusetts State Police were there as a precaution.
"Through an investigation by Burlington Police and Woburn Police, investigators determined the identity of the suspect and located him. Police determined that the man has no access to firearms and was experiencing a mental health crisis," Burlington Police said in a statement.
"At this time, police are confident that Burlington Mall is safe, and do not believe there was ever a credible threat on Sunday."
No charges have been filed at this point in the investigation.
"It's nerve-wracking to know that my son would be in there and that somebody is saying that they're going to be coming around, shooting up," said Lynda Frisoli, who was at the mall to pick up her son from work. "That's definitely nerve-wracking for me, yes."
