SWEETWATER, Fla. – A man was arrested Saturday after police said he brandished a gun inside the Dolphin Mall in Sweetwater. Around the same time, someone pulled a fire alarm in the mall, briefly causing people to evacuate the shopping center.
Pedro Pagan, 26, faces charges of improper exhibition of a firearm and disorderly conduct.
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According to an arrest report, witnesses saw Pagan taking off his shirt, revealing a firearm on his waistband.
Police said Pagan walked around the mall shirtless, causing people to run in fear when they saw the gun, later confirmed to be a Glock 19.
Officer Jonathan Arche, a spokesman for the Sweetwater Police Department, said officers were investigating whether the false alarm was related to incident involving Pagan, but it appears they are unrelated.
The fire alarm led some to think a shooting had occurred inside the mall, but police said no shots were fired. The mall reopened shortly after the scare.
Several South Florida malls have been evacuated in recent months over fears of shootings. The incidents were caused by loud noises and other disturbances. In one case, police said a thief set off fireworks to distract people while he stole jewelry at the Sawgrass Mills in Sunrise.