Police take man with gun into custody near Mall of America

Police take man with gun into custody near Mall of America

Police in Minnesota have negotiated the surrender of an armed man after shutting down roads near the Mall of America Friday evening

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- Police in Minnesota negotiated the surrender of an armed man after shutting down roads near the Mall of America on Friday evening.

The Bloomington Police Department said on social media that the man was taken into custody and roads were reopened in the area of American Boulevard and 24th Avenue.

Crisis negotiators were brought to the scene and the public was asked to avoid the area following the report of a person with a firearm, police said.

Mall of America spokesperson Laura Utecht said one mall entrance was closed while police engaged with the man but the mall remained open.

A woman called police around 4 p.m. to say a man in a white truck was in a parking lot with a gun. The man initially refused police directions to put down the shotgun he was carrying, WCCO-TV reported.

Police said the man was in crisis and had access to firearms in addition to the shotgun. Around 6:15 p.m., negotiators convinced the man to put down the gun. He retreated to his vehicle but was detained around 6:45 p.m., WCCO reported.

Police said the man, who was not immediately identified, was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center and was not arrested, WCCO reported.

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