Man arrested after shooting incident at Brandy Melville
Man arrested after shooting incident at Brandy Melville in Center City
Police are investigating a shooting that occurred at Brandy Melville in the Center City section of Philadelphia.
Police were dispatched to Brandy Melville located on the 1500 block of Walnut Street, when officials responded to a call around 2 p.m. Tuesday (Aug. 5), for the report of a person with a weapon.
As they arrived, Policed learned that an alleged 41-year-old man attempted to steal items from the store. Witnesses said he went behind the counter and refused to follow commands to leave.
After multiple requested to leave, Mark Rodriguez, a licensed armed security guard, approached the man in which a physical altercation ensued between the two.
Police say the security guard initally used pepper spray on the suspect to disarm him. However, that did not stop him from following through with his intentions.
Believing the offender was reaching for a weapon, police say the guard then discharged his firearm at the man. The suspect was not hit by the gunfire and managed to flee the scene.
Authorities later found the offender at 15th and Spruce streets where he was apprehended, and taken to Pennsylvania Hospital for exposure to pepper spray.
Rodriguez spoke to the media following the arrest, telling the account of the violent standoff from his point of view.
“A guy came in, we were estimating him to be on some type of drugs… decided to rob the store, and I just did my job… He just started fighting people for no reason, we were scared.” Rodriguez explained. “I fired a warning shot to get him to stop fighting. I fired into the wall safely & he ran out.”
The store was closed temporarily due to the investigation.
READ MORE:
RELATED: Police Investigate attempted robbery of armored truck in Northeast Philadelphia
RELATED: Man poses as officer to rob Philly business, police say
