Gunshots Outside Mall Fired By Police, Authorities Say

POSTED: 11:46 am EST December 7, 2007
UPDATED: 9:21 pm EST December 7, 2007


ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- Shoppers took refuge inside a mall Friday morning after police fired shots at a motorist who they said tried to run down an officer in the parking lot.

The gunshots rang out at about 10:30 a.m. Friday outside the South Mall in Salisbury Township, resulting in a temporary lockdown of the mall.

No injuries were reported in the incident, according to a statement from state police Capt. Steven Johnson and Lehigh County District Attorney James B. Martin.

Authorities identified the man who allegedly drove the car at police as Avbuime Akade, 24, of the 300 block of Seitz Street in Easton.


Prosecutors said Akade faces aggravated assault and related charges.

A Bank of America spokesman said earlier that the shooting was apparently related to an attempted holdup of an armored car.

"The incident did occur in the mall parking lot, outside of the banking center," spokesman Ernesto Anguilla told The Associated Press. "None of our associates or customers were injured. The lobby of our banking center is currently closed while the police investigate."

The statement from Martin and Johnson, issued shortly before 8 p.m., did not mention an attempted armored car heist.

A store employee heading into work noticed a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot between the bank and the mall entrance, said Shawn Southard, a spokesman for mall owner Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust.

The employee alerted mall security, who in turned contacted police, Southard said.

Officers responding to the complaint asked the driver of the black Pontiac to step out of the vehicle, and he complied.

But the district attorney said the passenger then got into the driver's seat and put the car in reverse, driving directly at a police officer.

Two other officers fired approximately three times, striking the vehicle.

But authorities allege that Akade drove off to the Whitestone Village Apartment Complex a few blocks away at 30th and Ithaca streets, where officers soon located the vehicle.

Folks in the Allentown community were left with rattled nerves.

Resident John Ruiz said he was in the apartment complex when police told him, "A bad person might be across the hall so, for my safety, to get dressed and go out."

Tina Reppert, a neighbor and mother of 15- and 12-year-old sons, told NBC 10, "My boys are up there, and I just wanted to get to them, and we were told there was a gunman out on the loose."

Reppert called it the situation, "scary, very scary," adding, "This has been a safe neighborhood for the four years we've been here."

Authorities said they made numerous attempts to contact Akade. But when those proved unsuccessful, Allentown police entered the apartment and took him into custody without further incident.

The standoff at the apartment complex had lasted more than three hours.

Authorities said the investigation is continuing. Akade was in state police custody and awaiting arraignment.

South Mall was alerted about the incident, went into lockdown to ensure customer safety, but it lasted less then 20 minutes, according to Southard. Police left the mall by 1:55 p.m.

Still, the mall parking lot shooting clearly rattled holiday shoppers' nerves, NBC 10's Kristen Welker reported.

"You've got to worry about every one's safety around, and kids shopping and everything else like that. It's definitely a safety issue," said Rob Anspch, of Fredericksburg.

"I think it's terrible. There's enough robberies going on here in the valley," said shopper Sal Verrastro. "This is awful