x
Breaking News
More () »

Barricade situation ends at JCPenney in Westfield Wheaton Mall

The mall will remain closed for the rest of Wednesday, police said.

WHEATON-GLENMONT, Md. — A four-hour barricade situation ended at the JCPenney store at the Westfield Wheaton Mall on Wednesday afternoon, which prompted the store to be evacuated and closed.

The Montgomery County Police Department said a store employee saw a man use a knife to open a box and steal a watch and called 911 to report the shoplifting. 

When officers arrived around 10:30 a.m., the police department said the man brandished the knife and then went to the dressing rooms and refused to come out.

The store was evacuated to give police the room to work, but the police department said there was no threat to the public.

Negotiators talked to the man but he would not come out. Around 2:30 p.m., the police department said they had to force the man out of the dressing room area. SWAT deployed pepper spray balls into the dressing room.

Christopher Lawrence was taken into custody without further incident.

Lawrence is expected to be charged with first-degree assault.

The rest of the Westfield Wheaton Mall remained open while officers worked at the JCPenney. The JCPenney itself will remained closed Wednesday.

WATCH NEXT: New details on home explosion in Arlington released

READ NEXT: 

WUSA9 is now on Roku and Amazon Fire TVs. Download the apps today for live newscasts and video on demand.

Download the WUSA9 app to get breaking news, weather and important stories at your fingertips.

Before You Leave, Check This Out