Officials: Man caused Rollins shooter scare after Walmart theft

The man who caused Rollins College to send a warning of an “active shooter” Monday afternoon was fleeing police after he pointed a gun at a Wal-Mart security guard, according to an arrest report.

The saga began shortly after 3 p.m., when Frank Carl Taylor, 39, allegedly walked out of a Casselberry Wal-Mart without paying for two TVs. As a security guard confronted him, Taylor pulled out a gun and threatened to shoot the man, the report said.

Responding officers found Taylor nearby on Lake Howell Road, getting into a car parked on the shoulder with its hazard lights on. He fled officers’ attempts at a traffic stop and a pursuit began, police said.

During the chase, he ditched the gun in front of a house on Forest Brook Road and hit two street signs, police said. The pursuit was called off as he headed down Lake Howell Road, authorities said. Taylor was eventually found on the Rollins College campus after stealing another car, according to the arrest report. He was never armed while he was on the campus.

At 3:27 p.m., the college posted a warning on Twitter that “an armed person is on campus.” Six minutes later, the college sent an email to students and faculty with the subject line “active shooter.” The email only repeated that an armed person was on campus and made no other mention of an active shooting situation.

A spokesperson for the college said Tuesday that the wording in the subject line was incorrect.

At 3:35, Rollins sent a second tweet giving the all-clear. In subsequent tweets, the college clarified that no shots were fired and no injuries were reported.

Taylor, of Orlando, faces charges of attempted robbery with a firearm, fleeing and eluding, grand theft and motor-vehicle theft. He’s being held at the Orange County Jail without bond.