Man arrested after alleged threats at mall
EL CENTRO — A 38-year-old man was arrested Monday evening after allegedly threatening customers and employees at Imperial Valley Mall that he was going to “shoot up” the mall.
Two El Centro Police officers and a supervisor were dispatched to the salazar area after
receiving several calls about a man causing a disturbance at Imperial Valley Mall, according to an El Centro Police Department release.
Cmdr. Aaron Reel said the initial reporting call came in at 6:02 p.m.
A reporting party said the man, later identified as Claudio Salazar, had something in his hands, but the witness was not sure what it was.
“The original call and subsequent calls detailed the erratic behavior, verbal threats, but no physical contact with employees or patrons,” Reel said.
ECPD said officers responded to the area and began searching for Salazar based on descriptions provided by witnesses. They found him near the Best Buy store at 2901 S. Dogwood Road, ECPD said.
Police reported that Salazar continued to be aggressive when he was approached by the officers and that he refused to cooperate.
ECPD said multiple witnesses positively identified Salazar as the suspect who had threated to “shoot up” the mall. Salazar, who Reel said claims to be homeless but is from Calexico, was taken into custody and later booked at the Imperial County Jail for criminal threats, and resisting, delaying or obstructing a peace officer. No weapons were found in Salazar’s possession.
Reel said Salazar has had previous contact with law enforcement, but he could not provide additional details. However, according to a report in Adelante Valle newspaper, Salazar was previously arrested Feb. 21 after allegedly making threats against an employee of Macy’s department store.
“The witnesses in this case were crucial to our being able to intervene and prevent any further disturbances involving Salazar,” ECPD said of Monday’s incident. “In light of recent events in El Paso and Dayton, this is not one of those types of events.”