Update: The barricaded suspect inside of JCPenney has been taken into custody. The store will be close for the remainder of the day.
Montgomery County police responded to Westfield Wheaton Mall (11160 Veirs Mill Rd) for the report of a barricaded person inside of JC Penney on Wednesday, December 6.
According to police, “at approximately 10:30 a.m., officers from the Montgomery County Department of Police 4th District responded to a reported shoplifting in progress at JC Penney.
Preliminarily, an adult male displayed a knife and barricaded himself inside of a fitting room in the JC Penney, and has refused to leave. The store has been evacuated, to allow officers to safely manage the situation.
The MCPD Emergency Response Team, along with negotiators are on scene.
There are no reported injuries and the suspect is inside of the fitting room alone.
All other businesses in the mall are operating as normal.”