Mall Security Guard Arrested for Bomb Threat at Woodbridge Center www.privateofficer.com

Woodbridge NJ  May 16 2013 Police have arrested mall security guard Brian Ruzich, 21, of Fords in connection with Tuesday’s early morning bomb threat at Woodbridge Center Mall.
At around 6:35 a.m. Woodbridge Mall Security contacted Woodbridge Police that they received a threat that “tiny town” will blow up on May 14, 2013. “Tiny town” is the children’s play area located on the lower level of Woodbridge Center Mall in the JcPenney/Boscov’s wing.

After an immediate investigation following the incident, Woodbridge PD traced the threat back to Ruzich, a mall security guard.

Ruzich was charged with false public alarms, terroristic threats and criminal mischief. His bail is set at $25,000 with no 10 percent, according to Woodbridge PD.

Once Woodbridge PD received the threat on Tuesday morning, the mall was evacuated of the personnel inside at the time and police secured the perimeter.

According to Police Captain Roy Hoppock, due to a quick response from Woodbridge PD, Edison PD and Union, Monmouth and Middlesex County Sheriffs, six dogs were brought to the mall and an in-depth search was conducted and came up negative.

Source-Woodbridge Patch

Two arrested in Broadway Mall robbery www.privateofficer.com

Hicksville NY May 15 2013 Two Brooklyn men were arrested on Friday for an alleged robbery that occurred in Broadway Mall in Hicksville, police said.

According to authorities, Theodis Cole and Omar Sharpe, both 36, were seen by store security concealing an unknown amount of clothing in a bag at Macy’s in Broadway Mall.

As the two men exited the store, two security officers attempted to detain them in the parking lot. Sharpe then fled with the proceeds on foot through the parking lot, while Cole physically prevented the security officers from stopping Sharpe, police said.
As the security officers where escorting Cole back to Macy’s he began to kick and punch one of them causing a minor laceration to his hand. Police then arrived and placed Cole under arrest.

Sharpe was located by officers at the Hicksville Rail Road Station and arrested, police said.

Sharpe and Cole were charged with second-degree robbery

Ohio Valley Mall security officer injured in confrontation with woman www.privateofficer.com

ST. CLAIRSVILLE OH May 12 2013 – A major accident on Interstate 70 on Thursday near the Ohio Valley Mall, left one man with minor injuries and subsequently lead to a fight between a bystander and a mall security guard.
According to initial reports from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, a commercial tractor trailer hauling a bulldozer was traveling east near Exit 218 at the Ohio Valley Mall when the vehicle rolled over the guardrail, losing the bulldozer in the process. The vehicle then rolled over the steep embankment.
The driver, Jerry L. Fox, 42, Dilliner, Pa., was transported to Wheeling Hospital to be treated for minor injuries.
Officials from the Patrol, Cumberland Trail Fire Department, Ohio Department of Transportation and a towing service arrived on-scene. Following the accident, traffic was reduced to a single lane on I-70′s eastbound side until 2 a.m. today when the site was cleared.
The accident is under investigation.
At the time of the crash, onlookers at the nearby Ohio Valley Mall gathered in the parking lot where a fight broke out between a mall security guard and woman onlooker.
According to Joe Bell with the Cafaro Co. which operates the mall, a woman was taking pictures of the accident on the mall property, which is against mall policy. She was asked by the security guard to desist when the two scuffled.
Police are continuing their investigation.

Families upset with experience at Lufkin movie theater www.privateofficer.com

 

Lufkin TX May 9 2013 Checking bags at a national theater chain has become more common, but a Sunday experience has left two East Texas families feeling violated.

“We were sitting there and all of a sudden this mall security cop came up and he said I hear you’re taking pictures; and me and my husband were like what. He said well I was told that you were taking pictures.

I need to see your phone,” Monica Fuller said. They were told that were not allowed to take pictures inside the mall. Fuller said, “Well, I see people taking pictures with their kids in the mall all the time. I said I’ve never heard of such; and he said if I see them, they delete them.” Fuller says no pictures of inside the mall were found in either phone. Jason Gipson and his family witnessed the incident in the mall’s food court. “It was quite troubling to see a peer go through that,” Gipson said. KTRE Contacted Lufkin’s mall security office and they stated bags and purses were checked as a security precaution.

“I handed him my ticket. He said I need to search your bag. I asked why. He said well I need to search your bag, and I said I don’t think so,” Fuller said. “He said you’re more than welcome to leave your purse in the car but you can’t take it in.” Fuller asked for a refund and left the movie theater. A few minutes later she and her husband came back to watch more unfold. About five to ten minutes later Fuller says the security guard accused the family of snapping photos of the bag checking process at the entrance of the movie theater and took their phones to look through their pictures. “They created this really weird feeling of an unsafe condition in Lufkin, Texas.

I mean, it was an extraordinary strange experience,” Gipson said. “Being a father of a 10 and 11-year-old I can tell you we’ve pretty much caught every one of the big movie premieres that have come here to this theater.

I’ve never seen them check bags one time.” Mall security referred KTRE to Carmike Cinemas’ corporate office. We reached out to them Monday, but have yet to hear from them. Source-   KTRE

Alexandria teen arrested in mall trespassing www.privateofficer.com

 

Alexandria LA May 7 2013 An Alexandria teen who refused multiple times to leave the Alexandria Mall ended up being arrested Saturday, according to police.
Alexandria police were contacted by mall security around 8 p.m. about a teen, 17-year-old Raymond Thomas III, who had been told several times to leave the property but had not, according to the release.

When police arrived, Thomas was told to leave and again refused, so he was arrested. As he was being taken into custody, Thomas began trying to get away and kicked at officers, according to the release.

After Thomas was restrained, officers found several small bags of marijuana on him, according to the release. Thomas was booked into the Rapides Parish Detention Center, charged with second-offense possession of marijuana, criminal trespassing and resisting an officer with force or violence.

Source- the town talk

Mall mobile Security Cameras Catch Car Thief www.privateofficer.com

 

Sacramento CA May 3 2013
It’s modern technology at its finest, a suspect in a stolen vehicle goes from  hanging out at Arden Fair Mall to getting handcuffed all because he simply drove  through the mall’s parking lot.

“Basically, our vehicles each have cameras based at 45 degree angles on each  vehicle,” said Head of Mall Security Steve Reed. Security cars with cameras drive up and down the mall’s parking lot, scanning  vehicles for stolen plates.

“We will call it in confirm the plate is stolen and then we retrace our  [closed-circuit television] footage,” said Reed. And if the driver is nowhere to be found there are nearly 200 cameras at the  mall watching your every move. “Everyone who comes here when they get out of their car they  leave a  visual footprint and all we do when we get a stolen car we follow the  footprint,” said Reed.

As our latest suspect strolled through the mall, police waited at the  bottom of the escalator before arresting him. We also caught up with the victim of the stolen vehicle who later watched it  all unfold on camera.

“I’m shocked he is even driving it. He is not even supposed to be driving.  The tags are expired,” the man said. The new $35,000 cameras and software has led to 3 arrests in the past 2  months at Arden Fair Mall.

The cameras uses infared technology and they are HD.

Mall Cameras Catch Car Thief

http://fox40.com/2013/05/02/mall…

It’s modern technology at its finest, a suspect in a stolen vehicle goes from hanging out at Arden Fair Mall to getting handcuffed all because he simply drove through the mall’s parking lot

source- fox40.com/

Teens set off explosion inside Wichita mall www.privateofficer.com

 

Wichita KS April 30 2013 Mall security responded to an explosion at the Towne West mall and took three juveniles into custody after they caused quite a scare Sunday afternoon.
Police were called to the scene after reports of an explosion inside the mall.
Three kids had set off a small firework-type device in a crowded area just east of the food court.
Authorities say nobody was hurt by the device and there was no damage to property inside the mall.
The device was later determined to be a confetti cannon.
Police did not say of he parents would be charged or if the teens were released to the parents.

Charleston Town Center security got new wheels www.privateofficer.com

CHARLESTON, W.Va. April 27 2013 – Charleston Town Center security guards are ready to roll.
The mall is about to get a second T3 Patroller electric standup vehicle to help guards patrol the parking garages that flank the shopping mecca.
The mall has owned one of the battery-powered vehicles – sort of a three-wheeled version of a Segway – since October 2011, but its use has been limited.
Officials hope to use the second vehicle, which is due to arrive in a couple of weeks, to boost the security presence at the mall.
“We hope to have one on each side in both garages,” said Dennis Lewis, director of mall security.
The T3 Patroller gives guards a quick, easy-to-maneuver way to patrol the six levels of the parking garages.
The unit features lights and a siren, and its one-horsepower motor can move at up to 20 mph.
Lewis said that’s a bit much for confined spaces.
“We don’t operate it that fast, but it could go that fast,” he said.
Guards will patrol at a comfortable 8 mph once the second vehicle arrives.
Lewis said the T3 vehicle, which costs about $10,000, gives officers enough of a height boost to see over most cars and trucks.
The vehicle is an eye-catcher as officers glide through the garages.
“It creates a very visible presence,” he said. “When you see it, it just grabs your attention.
“We can see people better, people can see us better, so it enhances the security presence of the mall,” he said.
While the main job of a mall security
officer is to look out for suspicious behavior, marketing director Lisa McCracken said officers spend much of their time helping customers who can’t quite remember where they parked.
She said that often happens when people park at the mall prior to an event at the Civic Center next door. Folks can be in such a rush that they forget where they came in.
“When they pull into the parking garage and don’t take note of where they park, they don’t realize they’re in one of two parking garages,” McCracken said.
Because of the mall’s symmetrical layout, some are confused about which side they came in.
Lewis said guards are flagged down by people who think someone has made off with their car.
“They think someone stole their car when they’re actually looking in the wrong garage,”
he said.
Lewis said his officers patrol the garages 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Even when the mall is closed for holidays, security staff members are on duty.
The mall has been using the T3 Patroller in the Lee Street garage since it was purchased in 2011. With just one unit, only one guard is trained and certified to use it.
With a second unit, Lewis said he would train each member of his garage security staff.
McCracken said guards also place cards on the windows of parked vehicles. The cards let the driver
know the area is under guard but also features coupons to mall stores.
McCracken said it’s both a marketing technique and a move to give customers peace of mind.
“It’s an opportunity to reassure our guests and employees that we have daily security coverage in our garages,” she said.
Lewis said his officers are looking forward to receiving the second unit and using them full time.
“The officers love it,” he said. “It’s comfortable to the rider, and customers love it because it really grabs your attention.
“And it sure beats walking.”
Source: dailymail.com

Drug crackdown aimed at Dayton mall area www.privateofficer.com

Dayton OH April 26 2013 The drug bust Tuesday at an auto dealership detail shop near the Dayton Mall is the latest in a series of police investigations close to one of the region’s busiest retail shopping areas where 10,000 people visit a day.
Still officials say the recent drug arrests around the mall are part of a larger problem, rather than unique to the popular commercial center.
“The Dayton Mall area has been a focal point of late,” said Sgt. Mike Brem, head of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and the RANGE task force said Wednesday. “But drug trafficking is a problem throughout the whole county.”
In the past month, federal authorities and regional drug task forces have arrested seven people on heroin, cocaine and other drug charges around the mall.
A 20-year-old Dayton man died at a drive through just south of the mall in a shoot-out with the FBI during a drug investigation. In another case, authorities said four people arrested at a nearby hotel were making 50 to 100 drug deals a day in parking lots around the mall.
“Right now it seems to be a variety of operations. The investigation will reveal if any of those will be linked together,” Brem said.
Everyday more than 26,000 drivers pass the mall’s main intersection, Springboro Pike and Ohio 725, just east of Interstate 75, according to traffic counts. More than 2,000 work in the mall itself, according to mall officials.
“It is a strong retail area that has been very successful and will continue to be very successful,” said Chris Kershner, vice president public policy and economic development for the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce. “You have drug problems unfortunately in any major metropolitan area.”
Rather than a focal point, officials said the drug busts in the mall area were symptoms of a regional, if not national opiate epidemic.
“The problem is everywhere,” said Dave Duebber, manager of the mall. “If they think it’s not, they’ve got their head in the sand.”
Tuesday’s arrests near the 117-acre mall, which has 150 surveillance cameras, concerns some area residents.
Amanda Littrell of West Carrollton said she fears there’s more illicit drug activity going on.
“It makes me very nervous and very concerned especially for my children. I don’t want them growing up in that type of atmosphere,” Littrell said. “I’m relieved that some people have been caught, but I know there’s a lot more out there.”
As a result of Tuesday’s arrests by the task force at Matt Castrucci’s Auto Mall of Dayton, Larry Brown, 52, of Dayton and Reginald A. Colvard, 40, of Cincinnati, remain in the Montgomery County Jail Wednesday, charged with conspiring to distribute in excess of 28 grams of crack cocaine.

source- Dayton Daily News

Oakland Mall security guard arrested for burglarizing stores www.privateofficer.com

 

Troy MI April 24 2013 An Oakland Mall security officer is expected to be arraigned today or Wednesday on charges he was breaking into stores he was paid to protect.
Troy Police Sgt. Andy Breidenich said the suspect was arrested on Monday after the latest break-in was reported at the mall at 14 Mile and I-75. Another breaking-and-entering theft was reported last week, along with others during the past month.
“We’re investigating a bunch of B-and-Es at Oakland Mall,” Breidenich said today. “That’s all we’ve got at this point until we get the guy arraigned.”
Breidenich said the break-ins were occurring overnight, with someone entering stores through doors inadvertently left unlocked. Police were not releasing which stores were hit or the value of items taken.
The suspect is expected to be arraigned in 52-4 District Court in Troy today or Wednesday. The suspect is employed by the security company contracted with Oakland Mall, Breidenich said.

source-dtroit free press

Danbury Fair mall security nab shoplifters www.privateofficer.com

 

DANBURY CT April 22 2013 — A city man and a Brookfield woman were charged with larceny Friday after Danbury Fair mall security personnel stopped them with items allegedly stolen from several stores.
Andres Cortes, 18, of Westville Avenue, Danbury and Adana Neuyen, 19, of Aspen Way, Brookfield, were arrested Friday at about 5:11 p.m., police said.
Mall security officers stopped the pair separately outside of mall entrances after an employee from Sunglass Hut reported that a man and woman matching their descriptions had taken sunglass from a display, police said.
According to police, the pair were found to have assorted items between them from several stores, including more than 25 pairs of sunglasses and watches. Fossil, Abercrombie & Fitch, Lens Crafters and Sunglass Hut produced documentation bringing the value of the items to $6,823, police said.
Cortes and Neuyen were each charged with third-degree larceny and third-degree conspiracy to commit larceny. Cortes was released on $25,000 bond with a court date of April 29. Neuyen remained in custody Saturday on a $25,000 bond.

source- http://www.newstimes.com

North Star Mall security guard charged with burglary www.priateofficer.com

SAN ANTONIO TX April 18 2013

North Star Mall security guard Arthur Manzanedo, 38, is accused of stealing from one of the stores he was hired to protect.

Manzanedo was still in uniform when he was allegedly caught on camera last Friday morning, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

San Antonio police detectives were conducting undercover surveillance at the mall when they saw four people enter the Aeropostale store around 2:40 a.m., the affidavit stated.

They said the suspected thieves were caught on camera, loading items from the store into a trash bin.

One of the men in the video, seen taking items from the shelves and holding the door open for the others, is wearing a security guard uniform, the affidavit stated.

Police showed the video to the mall’s chief of security who identified the man in uniform as Manzanedo, the affidavit stated.

Manzanedo was arrested Tuesday on a burglary charge. The affidavit did not mention whether police have identified or arrested any of the other people in the video.

Source-ksat.com

Arden Fair Mall security team up with police to nab robbery suspect www.privateofficer.com

 

Sacramento CA April 18 2013 A man was arrested for attempted robbery thanks to fast work by mall security officers, Sacramento officers and a police dog.
A man reported to Arden Fair Mall security about 8 p.m. Tuesday that an armed robber tried to hold him up in the parking lot. Police were notified and mall security provided a good description of the suspected robber’s vehicle.
Police arriving to the call made a stop of the vehicle away from the mall parking lot.
Police said Jordan E. Urban, 22, (pictured) then fled from the car.
Urban was brought into custody with the assistance of a police dog. A discarded, loaded handgun was booked into evidence.
Urban was booked into Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of attempted robbery, carrying a loaded firearm with intent to commit a felony and giving false identification to police. Source-sacbee.com

Two woman shot at New River Valley Community College www.privateofficer.com

Christiansburg, VA April 13 2013 - Police have released the name of the suspected shooter. Police say 18-year-old Neil Allen MacInnis of Christiansburg was a student at New River Valley Community College.
In a press conference police said MacInnis drove to the mall, parked his car, took out his weapon, walked into the college and fired at two women. We’re told one woman was a part-time employee at the college. Police are still looking into the other woman’s relationship with the school.
MacInnis was subdued at the scene by an off duty security guard and two Christiansburg police officers. He was in custody within five minutes of the shooting.
MacInnis has been charged with two counts of malicious wounding and two counts of the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Police are still working to determine a motive, but they do believe he acted alone. Police also revealed that MacInnis completed the Christiansburg Citizens Police Academy last year.
As for the college and mall, there is no anticipated reopening time as of yet. But, New River Valley Community College has canceled classes tomorrow at both its main and satellite campuses.
——————-
Update 5:40 p.m.:
Christiansburg, VA – Police are still on the scene of a shooting at New River Ridge Mall in Christiansburg that injured two women Friday.
Police have confirmed the shooter was an adult man who is being questioned by detectives.
The college security guard says the shooter willingly surrendered to a mall security guard. He also says the suspect was carrying a shotgun.
Dr. Mark Rowh, a vice president at the New River Ridge Community College, says students were in a conference video call with other students at the main school in Dublin when the shooting happened.
Rowh says there are 1,300 students enrolled in that satellite location at the mall.
Police are still clearing the mall as they continue to investigate.
There will be a press conference will more information at 8 p.m. Stay with us for the latest.
——————-
Christiansburg, VA – Two women are being treated after Christiansburg police say they were shot Friday afternoon at the New River Valley Community College location in the mall in Christiansburg.
Police say they got the call around 1:55 p.m. When officers arrived, they found two women with gunshot wounds.
They say one woman was airlifted to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. The other woman was taken to Lewis-Gale Medical Center and is in stable condition.
Officials took the suspect into custody.
While this was going on, the mall was evacuated. Montgomery County Schools were briefly on lockdown as a precaution, but that lockdown has been lifted.
Police believe there is no continuing threat to the community.

Source: ABC13

Lone Tree police-mall security thwart robbery at mall www.privateofficer.com

 

Lone Tree CO April 11 2013 Lone Tree police said they teamed up with mall security officials March 30 to thwart an attempted robbery at Park Meadows shopping center. A woman was arrested, and two male suspects, one of whom apparently had been carrying a stolen handgun, still are being sought.

Bernadette Irene Vargas, 51, of Edgewater, was arrested on six charges and booked into the Douglas County jail.
While shoplifting is common at malls nationwide, robberies — especially those involving a weapon — are unusual. “We don’t have a problem with robberies at the mall,” Lone Tree Police Chief Jeff Streeter said.

“(This is) the one report since January 2012 in which a weapon was used. It’s very rare.” The incident started about 6:40 p.m. at the JC Penney store, when a store loss-prevention officer confronted the trio for allegedly taking about $300 of cologne. One of the men reportedly lifted his shirt to reveal a handgun, and threatened the security officer. Vargas reportedly then threw a bag of stolen merchandise at the security officer and the three suspects ran out of the mall.

The security officer and Lone Tree police officer Dennis Boos, who is stationed at the department’s Park Meadows substation, caught up to two of the three fleeing suspects in the parking lot.

Boos pulled his gun and ordered them to stop. The man complied, but though Vargas stopped, she reportedly started cursing, yelling ‘Shoot me,’ and walking around the man before running off into the parking lot.

The security officer caught up to her and wrestled Vargas to the ground. She allegedly cursed and attempted to kick Boos when he handcuffed her. Police later found a loaded handgun under a nearby car in the mall parking lot. The gun had been reported stolen to Thornton police. Authorities who searched Vargas at the jail reportedly found she was wearing underwear with Victoria’s Secret tags still attached to them.

Vargas was charged with aggravated robbery, menacing with a deadly weapon, resisting arrest, attempted second-degree assault, theft and disorderly conduct. Though the incident started as a shoplifting, the suspects’ use of threats, force or intimidation elevates it to a robbery, Streeter said. Streeter praised Boos’ calm response during the tense, at-times chaotic series of events. “They relied on their training,” he said. “

The officer assessed it properly and we were able to take someone into custody, with no injuries to anybody.” Malls and large shopping centers are frequent targets for shoplifters, many of whom are professionals and some of whom are part of national, organized shoplifting rings.
source- our lone tree news

Toronto police searching for mall shooters www.privateofficer.com

Toronto Canada April 2 2013 Toronto police are hoping surveillance video will help them track down several suspects wanted after a shooting in the parking lot of Yorkdale Shopping Centre left a young man dead on Saturday.

Michael Nguyen, 23, died, and another man was sent to hospital after a gunfire broke out between two groups in the parking lot of the busy mall just after 8 p.m. Located in the city’s north end near Highway 401, Yorkdale is one of Toronto’s busiest shopping malls. Officers arrived to find Nguyen — who police say was known to them — lying on the roadway outside of the mall.

He was pronounced dead at the scene. The second victim, a 24-year-old man, is in stable condition in hospital and is expected to survive. The mall reopened this morning at 10 a.m. ET. “The police tape is down this morning, employees are starting to arrive, and it looks like business as usual at Yorkdale,” said the CBC’s Trevor Dunn.

Police said no shots were fired inside the mall, and no bystanders were hurt. They believe more than one gun was used in the shooting. Toronto police Det. Robert North said that while this is Toronto’s second deadly shooting at a mall within the past year, people should still feel safe.

“I don’t think there should be a concern for the public,” he said. “This was a very isolated incident between two groups. We’re not talking about people who come here and shoot random people coming out for an evening with their family to the mall.”

After the shooting, hundreds of vehicles in the parking lot remained cordoned off as police conducted their investigation. At least one vehicle was towed away from the lot by police on Saturday. They released the remaining vehicles to their owners on Sunday afternoon.

Police will be reviewing hours of video footage captured by cameras inside and outside the mall. Police also say there were five or six people in the immediate area of the shooting, and investigators want to speak to them. The violence on Saturday night is not the first time that a shooting has occurred on the mall property. In April 2009, a security guard was shot while attempting to arrest two robbery suspects. He was wearing a safety vest that police credited with saving his life.

The incident comes almost 10 months after a shooting downtown at the Toronto Eaton Centre in which one man died at the scene and another was fatally wounded and died in hospital days later. Five other people were wounded, but survived the shooting.
Investigators are urging any of the hundreds of shoppers who were at Yorkdale Saturday night to come forward if they saw anything. They’re asked to call detectives at 32 Division at 416-808-3200.
Source : CBC News

Danbury Fair mall security nab car burglars www.privateofficer.com

DANBURY CT April 2 2013– Two Danbury men were arrested after security officers caught them breaking into a car at the Danbury Fair mall Friday, police said.

Christian Williams, 24, was charged with third-degree burglary, conspiracy and attempted burglary as a result of the 9:50 p.m. incident.

Jazzie Zanferdano, 21, was charged with conspiracy and attempted burglary, police said. Mall security found Williams inside a parked Jeep in the parking garage and Zanferdano about to get into the vehicle, police said.

The pair jumped out, told security the car belonged to them, and tried to flee before being caught in a stairwell. An investigation found that neither man owned the vehicle, police said.
source-www.newstimes.com

North Ga. man arrested for sex crimes at Mount Berry Square mall www.privateofficer.com

Rome GA April 1 2013 An undercover investigation led to the arrest of a Cartersville man by Floyd County Police on child molestation charges, according to Floyd County Jail reports.
According to the reports:
Nathan Lee Claus, 40, of 127 Mayflower Circle, Cartersville, was charged with felony counts of child molestation, enticing and a child for indecent purposes and solicitation of sodomy from a child under the age of 18.
The reports stated that Claus had been communicating electronically with a 14-year-old Floyd County girl since March 4 and had sent messages of a sexually explicit nature.
In the communications, Claus solicited and described having the minor commit the act of sodomy. Claus was taken into custody at Mount Berry Square mall Saturday evening after he traveled there to meet with the child.
Read more: RN-T.com -

Vancouver mall security officer charged with assault of handicapped man www.privateofficer.com

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 30 2013 (UPI) — A Vancouver, British Columbia, shopping mall security guard faces an assault charge after being caught on video knocking a man in a wheelchair to the floor.

Ali Rahnumah, 30, was one of three undercover security guards who surrounded the one-legged man they suspected of shoplifting at the Pacific Centre Mall in October. A shaky cellphone video obtained by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. shows a guard swearing before knocking the man out of his wheelchair with a blow to the head. “I’ll [expletive] throw you on the ground and [expletive] you up!” the guard is heard saying. “

Don’t [expletive] with me … On the ground! On the ground! On the ground! You’re so stupid — on your chest!” Rahnumah, who was honored as the “loss prevention officer of the year” in 2011 by Downtown Vancouver’s Business Improvement Association, was fired by his employer, Genesis Security, shortly after the CBC aired the video.

“He had done well and I was surprised,” Ashley Meehan, vice president at Genesis Security Group, said.

“It’s not in line with what we expect of our employees. So why it came to that I can’t explain.” Rahnumah — who is expected to make his first court appearance in May — is suing Genesis Security for $25,000 for wrongful dismissal, alleging it was “malicious, reprehensible” and meant “to minimize the negative publicity” arising from the video.

Rahnumah contends his actions during the arrest were “wholly consistent with the manner in which employees [of Genesis] … acted in the performance of their duties.”

Atlanta Lennox Square mall causes crime stats to spike www.privateofficer.com

Atlanta GA March 25 2013 Wayward youths come to Lenox Square in Buckhead looking for True Religion. Once they find an unguarded pair of the pricey brand-name jeans, they break one of the Ten Commandments: Thou shall not steal. The pants cost upward of $300 a pair. Atlanta Police Officer C. Smith works the mall during his afternoon shift and said the jeans are popular among the shoplifters he arrests.

“I’m perfectly fine with Wranglers for like $20 or $30,” Smith said. “I don’t understand why anybody needs to pay $300 for jeans.” Theft from Lenox was one of Buckhead’s biggest crimes in 2012, according to statistics released by the Atlanta Police Department. Lenox, owned by Simon Property Group, is one of the South’s largest shopping malls, containing more than 250 stores. It attracts shoppers from all over. The crowded mall with a constant stream of traffic and exhilaratingly expensive merchandise also lures greedy fingers. Shoplifters don’t think twice about grabbing merchandise and making a run for it. The thieves have a harder time getting their loot out of Lenox, Smith says.

While Buckhead’s police boundary, Zone 2, is Atlanta’s top reporter of property crime, the Lenox beat had more thefts classified as “other larceny” than any other beat in the zone. Other larceny usually means thefts that don’t involve unlawfully entering property.

Crimes such as shoplifting fall into this category. Atlanta Police annually release data about all Part 1 crimes, offenses police are more likely to know about and are reported more frequently. In 2012, Part 1 crimes in Zone 2 rose by 8 percent over 2011.

It was the only zone in the city with an overall increase. Zone 2 is divided into 13 beats. Beat 210, which includes Lenox, had the most Part 1 crimes of any beat in the zone, a statistic driven by its large number of “other larceny” crimes. Lenox Square spokeswoman Carly Dennis said the mall has a “close working relationship with APD” but would not discuss the crime statistics in depth. “We do not comment on the specific security measures the mall implements daily to keep shoppers safe,” she said. Zone 2 commander, Maj. Van Hobbs, compiles Part 1 crime data in a thick binder.

He studies it, looking for trends that can help him develop strategies to keep Buckhead’s crime rate low. Hobbs said out of more than 443 “other larcenies” in Beat 210 reported in 2012, 345 were at Lenox. The commander said the beat’s numbers improved from 2011, when there were 503 other larcenies reported, 401 of which were at Lenox.

It should be noted that Beat 210 does not include Phipps Plaza, which is near Lenox Square. Phipps is in Beat 208 and that beat generated 269 other larceny reports. Broken down further, Hobbs said shoplifting at Lenox in 2012 accounted for 177 of the other larcenies reported, down from 255 in 2011. Hobbs attributes the drop in numbers to changing police tactics. He said Deputy Chief and Field Operations Division Commander Ernest Finley Jr. looked at all areas in the city that were hot spots for shoplifters.

“What he did is, we have recruits that get hired and prior to going to the academy, we put them where we need them,” Hobbs said. “We put them in those areas as extra eyes and ears.” The recruits can’t make arrests, but their presence and reports to sworn police officers keep shoplifters in check, Hobbs said. Police catch many of the suspects at the mall. The larger anchor stores, like Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s, have their own security known as “loss prevention officers.”

The mall hires off-duty Atlanta police officers to patrol the rest of the property. “Obviously we’re not going to catch everybody,” Hobbs said. Hobbs said some of the Lenox Mall thieves are professional criminals who see the potential for arrest as the cost of doing business. Smith doesn’t arrest many professionals on his shift, which starts in the afternoon and stretches late into the night. The people he arrests are mostly juveniles.

“They’re just coming in, taking MARTA, and then they don’t have a ride back,” Smith said. “Parents usually don’t know why their kids are even in Buckhead.” Smith said he’s often tasked with taking juvenile offenders home after they’ve been arrested. The rides in his squad car can be quiet, aside from the constant crackling of radio chatter. “I myself try not to preach too much,” Smith said. “I try to let them know that it’s not accepted and they need to get off this certain area that they’re in, but I’m not the kind of person that likes to keep beating somebody down and telling them how they’re the worst person and they need to change everything that they’ve ever done because of this. I just let them know it’s a bad decision and they need to not do it again.” These offenders seldom do commit the same crime twice, or at least they don’t do it at Lenox, Smith said.

He said juveniles convicted of shoplifting receive a criminal trespass warning, banishing them from the mall for two to three years. So who are these kids? Smith said their grades are usually below average and they don’t participate in after-school activities. Their relationships with their fathers are often strained or nonexistent, he said. “I talk to them about it,” Smith said. “They seem to be lost, most of the time.”

The kids’ motives aren’t complicated, he said. “There’s not really a set mold for shoplifters,” Smith said. “I feel like the shoplifter will just take something because they think they can get away with it at the time. I’ve had somebody have a pocketful of $500 in bills and they took $200 worth of stuff.” Smith said while True Religion jeans are popular on the five-finger discount list, there are the weirder heists, like the kid who stole a $2,000 espresso machine.

Hobbs said food, electronics, cosmetics and batteries are targets. Smart phones and other gadgets like iPads are also favorites, Hobbs said. Often the shoplifters work in teams, using a distraction method. One will chat up a sales associate while the other nabs merchandise or the employee’s phone. “People are pretty careless with their cellphones,” Hobbs said.

“They’ll leave them on the register.” Sometimes the thieves walk into open break rooms and steal wallets and purses. It’s always about opportunity and opportunities abound at Lenox. Smith said he often feels he’s fighting a losing battle as he drives his car in circles round and round the mall looking for trouble. He can’t tell if he’s made any real difference. Smith said there have been fewer calls recently compared with the ferocious shoplifting in the weeks leading up to Christmas. “

There’s definitely been less lately than I’ve had to deal with in the past,” Smith said. But is it a long-term trend? “You’ll get your answer pretty quickly come summertime when the kids aren’t in school,” Smith said
Source: Reporter NewsPaper

Muscatine man gets prison for assaulting mall security guard www.privateofficer.com

Muscatine IA March 24 2013 A Muscatine man was sentenced to five years in prison after a jury convicted him of assaulting a 79-year-old mall security guard over a parking ticket. William Clark was reportedly placing a notice for illegal parking on a car at the Muscatine Mall on Friday, August 2, 2012 when Scott Chancey attacked him.

Muscatine County Attorney Alan Ostergren said Clark suffered a fractured hip, a compound fracture of the arm and other injuries in the attack. Chancey, 50, was originally charged with misdemeanor assault.

Because of the nature and severity of Clark’s injuries, the charges were enhanced to felony assault causing serious injury. “Mr. Chancey assaulted the victim without any provocation and caused serious injuries to the victim.  The sentence of imprisonment was well-deserved,” Ostergren said. Chancey was sentenced March 22, 2013 to a prison sentence not to exceed five years and a fine of $750. Source-WQAD

Police investigate sexual assault reported at Cross Creek mall www.privateofficer.com

FAYETTEVILLE NC March 22 2013 –  Police are investigating a sexual assault at the Cross Creek Mall on Monday evening. A police spokesman says the Special Victims Unit responded to a hospital in another county after the girl reported the assault.

Police say the 16 year old girl reported she was raped at the mall Monday around 7:30 p.m.  They say the girl was at the mall shopping with her parents when she was pulled into a bathroom an assaulted. Police are not releasing a description of the girl’s attacker.

The mall has a security force that includes Cumberland County deputies. However, a sheriff’s department spokesperson said the mall cut the deputies back to a three day week, and that no deputies were on duty Monday evening.

Repeated calls from ABC11 to mall management were not returned Tuesday. Officers are not saying if the girl knew her attacker, or it was a random attack. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Fayetteville Police Department at (910) 433-1856 or Crimestoppers at (910) 483-TIPS (8477).
Source:WTVD

Woman killed, child raped in NY mall carjacking www.privateofficer.com

ALBANY, N.Y. — March 20 2013

A man previously charged with having child pornography cut an electronic monitoring device off his ankle before carjacking a woman, fatally stabbing her and raping her 10-year-old daughter, authorities said.

David J. Renz abducted the school librarian and her daughter as they left a gymnastics class at a mall in the Syracuse suburb of Clay, about 150 miles west of Albany, on Thursday night, state police said Friday.

Renz bound both victims, raped the girl and drove a short distance to a spot where the girl escaped and was found by a passing motorist, troopers said. The motorist told 911 dispatchers he saw a man running away from the scene, allowing police to quickly send in officers on the ground and a sheriff’s helicopter in the air. Renz was caught a short time later near a wooded area.

It was unclear how the girl escaped or when her mother was killed, authorities said. “We’re still trying to piece the timeline together,” Trooper Jack Keller said. The girl was being treated at a hospital Friday. Her mother died from multiple stab wounds. Renz, 29, had been charged in January with possession of child pornography and allowed to remain free under terms that included staying off the Internet and away from places including schools, parks and arcades. He lost his job at a supermarket, moved in with his mother and hadn’t been able to find other work after his arrest, according to court documents.

Federal authorities said he cut his electronic monitoring device off his ankle shortly before Thursday’s attacks. Renz was arraigned Friday on murder, rape and kidnapping charges and was held without bail. The lawyer assigned to his case, Ken Moynihan, didn’t return a call seeking comment.

The Associated Press generally doesn’t publish information that could identify potential sex crime victims and isn’t naming the woman to protect the girl’s identity.

According to an FBI criminal complaint, agents who went to the North Syracuse apartment where Renz was living in June found in his bedroom four computers that he told them he used to view adult pornography. Agent Alix Skelton said Renz eventually admitted using the Internet for the past six years to download child porn to a drive on one of the machines, which he turned over to the agents. Technicians determined in November that it had an encrypted hard drive, and Skelton said Renz provided the encryption key. Agents reviewing the drive in December found about 100 gigabytes of child porn comprising more than 500 videos and more than 3,000 images, according to the complaint.

Among the images were two showing sex acts involving prepubescent girls, said Skelton, a member of a unit that targets people involved in online exploitation of children. Renz was charged on Jan. 9 in federal court with possession of child pornography.

On Jan. 29, a judge granted a prosecutor’s request for an extension of the time required for grand jury action so investigators could continue going over “numerous items of electric media” for additional evidence. Renz, who authorities said had no prior police record, was released after agreeing to stay at home at night with an electronic monitor and away from any place he might encounter children. But Renz removed the monitor, Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney John Duncan said. Federal probation officials were investigating what happened, including whether Renz was able to get around an alert that is supposed to go off if the ankle bracelet is removed, he said.

Late Friday afternoon, state police turned Renz over to federal authorities, who will hold him for violating the terms of his release, court documents said. Duncan said the cases against him will continue in federal and state courts. The federal public defenders lawyer assigned to Renz in the child porn case, James Greenwald, did not return a call seeking comment Friday.

Police make arrest in stabbing at Norfolk mall www.privateofficer.com

NORFOLK, Va. March 20 2013–Police say they have charged Leedente Brown of the 3600 block of King Street in Portsmouth with malicious wounding after a man was stabbed in MacArthur Center on Monday.

Norfolk police are investigating a stabbing at MacArthur Center where a man was stabbed following an argument over a woman. It happened around 1 p.m. on the second floor near the Solstice Sunglasses store. Police said mall security responded to the incident within seconds.

The suspect allegedly stabbed his friend during an argument over a woman according to Norfolk police.

The victim was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. He is expected to be okay, authorities said. The suspect was taken into custody and the woman involved was also in custody, for questioning only.

Oklahoma city police investigate mall security after scuffle www.privateofficer.com

OKLAHOMA CITY OK March 20 2013 – Police released new developments Monday on the mall meltdown News Channel 4 reported last week. Witness video detailed a Penn Square Mall security guard stripping a woman from the waist down after a group she was with was accused of shoplifting. In the police report, witnesses said what they saw when the security guard pulled off the woman’s pants off in the parking lot They said security guards hit one woman, cussed at them and that’s not all.

The video shows them trying to get her out of her car and guards pull off her pants. The woman is so shamed she wouldn’t show her face on camera but said she replays that day in her mind. “It do play back in my head like, ‘That was real? That really happened,’” the woman said. “I am still feeling embarrassed and humiliated.” The struggle started when security guards accused Jonaye Stafford and a friend of shoplifting. They were with the woman who was stripped of her pants. Last week, moments after the incident, Stafford told us she and her friend did not steal and were leaving like they were told by security. You don’t have nothing,” Stafford said.

“You don’t have no proof. We already showed you everything in our bag. Whats the point? Leave us alone.” We now know eyewitnesses verify the women’s story, telling police the women were showing their open bags to security. A second witness told police they “saw security walking behind the group as the group went to their car.” The person said “security was cussing at (the women).” The report states “security broke the rear window and the driver got out of the car. The driver was trying to get back in the car and security was pulling her by the legs and pulled her pants off.” “I was just thinking like, ‘I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t believe the security officers are acting like this,’” the woman said.

Security guards told police they were defending themselves because the driver nearly hit them with her SUV. However, no eyewitness back that up. “It would seem the security guards’ actions were completely unjustified in treating the victim in the way he did,” attorney Ed Blau said. “He may have committed some kind of criminal act, an assault, hitting the vehicle with a weapon of some kind. There could be a crime there, malicious destruction of property.” Blau said there may be an even more serious crime in play. “If a random person had gone up to a woman in the parking lot and pulled her pants off, that’s felony sexual battery,” Blau said. “

That’s something you’re arrested for. That’s something you’re charged for and if you’re convicted, you’re a registered sex offender for the rest of your life. However, in this particular case, because a security guard did it, it turns into a ‘he said, she said’ rather than a regular crime.” We emailed the police report to representatives for Penn Square Mall and called them to see what they have to say about the new information. So far, we haven’t received a response.

As of now, no arrests have been made but the woman who was stripped of her pants by mall security tells us she is thinking about suing.

Video of security guards accused of excessive force probed www.privateofficer.com

Calgary Canada March 19 2013  Police are now investigating the circumstances around a video posted March 16 on YouTube that some say show security guards using excessive force.

The video at Chinook Centre shows a group of five guards taking down Daniel Doussept, who was later taken into custody by Calgary police and released.

None of the security guards were taken into custody.

No charges have been laid, but police say they plan to look into what lead to the take down and the arrest itself.

Doussept said he was approached in the mall by a security guard for sitting on an escalator for the ride down.

He stood up and got off the escalator, but was asked to leave the mall.

Doussept said he felt he was being unfairly judged, and the conversation turned “heated” so he decided to leave.

He said after tossing out his coffee in a garbage can outside he raised his hand to wave goodbye when two security guards came towards him.

The two guards were joined by three others, and one guard appears to throw three punches while four others pin him to the ground. Doussept said he was struggling to protect himself from being injured.

“There was one guy who was putting his elbow or knee in the back of my head,” he said.

Doussept said he has scrapes on his forehead and cheek following the scuffle, and his shoulder — which was previously injured in an accident more than a year ago — is sore.

He said he is still considering his next step, but felt the security guards took the situation past just restraining him and used excessive force.

Chinook Centre issued a statement Monday saying they are taking the matter very seriously.

We are troubled by the behaviours depicted in the video footage and as a result we are looking into the details of the situation and will take disciplinary action as required,” the statement says.

“Given that the matter is now under investigation by the Calgary Police Service we cannot provide further comment.”

The video has garnered more than 4,000 views on YouTube and had close to 200 comments as of Monday afternoon.

The footage was captured by photographer Tremaine Lea, who took the video “on instinct.”

I was initially struck by the fact there were three guards pinning down a single guy, which seemed a bit excessive,” he said in an email. “As the scene unfolded, more guards jumped in and the level of violence increased. I had to keep shooting because what I was seeing was just wrong, and I felt there should be a record of it.”

CBC News

Shopper attacked at Wash. Square Mall www.privateofficcer.com

PORTLAND OR March 18 2013 – A woman was attacked Thursday outside the Nordstrom department store at the Washington Square Mall. A man jumped into her car. He said his name was Parker and that they were going to go for a ride.

The woman, who asked to not be named, screamed as the two fought over her purse. Another shopper saw what was happening and set off her car alarm. The man ran off. “I was asked by the police if the man had a weapon and it didn’t even occur to me. He did have his hands in his pockets the whole time.

I guess I was just so surprised that it didn’t even occur to me that he might have a weapon,” the victim said.

Earlier this month, a mall employee was attacked from behind while walking to her car in the parking lot. She suffered fractures to her face. The woman never saw her attacker’s face and he ran off with her backpack, which had $50 inside.

Police are still looking for the suspect in that incident, which happened March 4. A tan sedan was reported speeding away from the scene. Anyone with information on either attack was urged to call police.
Source: NWCN

Indianapolis police concerned about violent crime at Castleton Square Mall www.privateofficer.com

INDIANAPOLIS IN March 13 2013 - Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department leaders met with representatives of Simon Malls on Tuesday to discuss how to combat the violence stemming from the large groups of unsupervised teens at Castleton Square Mall.

The meeting comes a weekend after violence erupted inside and outside Castleton Square Mall. Five people were arrested and weapons were confiscated. There have been cries for Simon to enforce a teen curfew at all of their malls. It appears the shopping giant is not on board with a curfew for teens.

According to IMPD Commander Tom Koppel, the mall will bring in more off-duty officers to patrol grounds. Koppel said IMPD will also increase its presence in the Castleton area. “We have a number of officers assigned and that work in that area,” said IMPD Sgt. Linda Jackson.

Simon has a system in place where IMPD can review their security cameras inside the mall. Other than that, the mall will better enforce its current code of conduct. It includes rules like no loitering at the mall, no unsupervised minors, and the recent addition of no groups of more than four people. But Koppel says officers know they can’t make lasting changes on their own. “The thing that’s missing is the parents, Koppel said.

“Where are the parents involved with their kids throughout the city, different locations? We have to be responsible.

I know the city leaders have talked about that, the faith-based community; I know the chief’s mentioned that. I’ve been to several meetings where that’s been a concern of citizens.” The mall is passing out letters to parents in the community that explain the code of conduct and urge parents to not allow their kids to go to the mall to just hang out.

This weekend will determine if the efforts are enough.

Source:WISH

Police seek shoplifter who attacked security guard at East Towne Mall www.privateofficer.com

Madison WI Feb 27 2013 A 68-year-old male security guard at an East Towne Mall store was slightly injured Sunday when he was pushed to the ground by a shoplifter trying to get away, police reported.
The incident happened at about 1:40 p.m. Sunday at Boston Store, the Madison Police Department stated in a news release.
According to police:
A woman with two kids was coming out of the store when she saw the security guard getting knocked down by a much younger man, who started running through the parking lot.
“The mother thought she just witnessed a mugging and called 911,” said police spokesman Joel DeSpain. “One of her children picked up a two-way radio and security badge, so the mother realized it wasn’t a mugging but a different crime.”
Before the woman could ask the security guard what happened, he was in pursuit of the shoplifter in the parking lot.
An officer arriving on the scene joined in the foot chase, but the suspect got away.
The suspect is a black male in his late teens or early 20s, wearing a black coat with a brown fur-lined hood, baggy dark jeans and a knit hat.

source- http://www.madison.com

Family of Teen Stabbed in Attack Sues Galleria Mall www.privateofficer.com

Redondo Beach CA Feb 26 2013 The family of a 13-year-old boy stabbed in the heart at the South Bay Galleria in Redondo Beach is suing the mall owner and the mall’s security company calling the mall a “cesspool for crime,” the family’s lawyer said on Monday.
The family alleges the mall failed to provide adequate security and surveillance cameras that could have helped identify the assailant from the Dec. 29 attack as the schoolmates sat on a bench near a mall movie theater.
The children were severely injured in the attack. The boy was stabbed six times in the chest, heart, lung and arm and spent two weeks in the intensive care unit at a hospital. The girl was stabbed three times.
The kids are both out of the hospital and back to school. Michael Alder, the attorney for the boy’s parents, said the girl’s parents are not involved in this lawsuit and may seek their own legal action at some other time.
Mickey Marrassino, the marketing director for the South Bay Galleria said she hadn’t seen the lawsuit and would not comment.
The family of the boy attacked alleges that the mall failed to warn the public about “the known danger of criminal activity at the Galleria” and failing to provide adequate safety measures despite advertised claims of having “industry-leading” security, according to the complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday.
Police said a stranger apparently chose the two at random and disappeared. Police released a composite sketch of the man they believe was responsible for the attack and announced a $25,000 reward for information leading to him. The FBI also announced it was joining in the hunt for the assailant.
Officials said crime at the Galleria has been an ongoing concern, with reports of as many as 128 crimes there in the 90 days leading up to the attack.
The family of one of the victims created a website to try to call attention to the issue and ask other victims of crimes at the mall to come forward.

Source: NBC Southern California