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Armed with a knife, police say that Christopher Lawrence, 37, attempted to steal a watch from JC Penney at the Westfield Wheaton Mall, but was caught and wound up barricading himself inside of a fitting room, forcing an evacuation of the store while police worked to resolve the situation.
The incident began at around 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 6, with dozens of officers and officials responding to the area.
According to police, the department's Emergency Response Team and negotiators responded in an effort to assuage Lawrence to leave the fitting room and turn himself in, but it wasn't until SWAT officers deployed pepper balls into the room and Lawrence was taken into custody without injury.
Original story - JC Penney Evacuated At Wheaton Mall For Barricaded Person: Police (DEVELOPING)
Lawrence, who has no known address, was evaluated at the mall by first responders and was taken to the Montgomery County Police Department's Central Processing Unit, where officials say he is expected to be charged with first-degree assault.
No officers, customers, or store employees were injured during the incident, though JC Penney stayed closed on Wednesday after the ordeal
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