Law enforcement officials in Montgomery County are investigating after a woman is alleged to have pointed a handgun at the heads of shoppers in a music store at the Metroplex Shopping center in Plymouth Township on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024.
According to police, at about 1:59 p.m., on Saturday, police responded to the Guitar Center at the Metroplex Shopping Center along the 2600 block of Chemical Road in Plymouth Township after management at the store reported "a female pointing a gun at the heads of multiple customers while screaming incoherently."
The person who called police also said some customers were hiding inside the store as, police said, others attempted to flee to safety.
Upon arrival, officials said, officers at the scene were confronted by the woman -- who officials have not identified -- as she exited the store with the gun in her hand.
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The woman, officials said, did not immediately comply with police orders to drop the gun and she, allegedly, pointed the weapon at officers several times.
However, police officials said that, after several minutes, the woman laid on the sidewalk outside the store and kept the gun next to her.
Though she remained unresponsive to police commands, officials said, she "laid prone on the sidewalk in a position of surrender" and she was taken into custody without injuring herself or officers involved in this incident.
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According to Detective Sergeant Chris Schwartz, of the Plymouth Township Police Department, the woman appeared to be "emotionally disturbed" when officers arrived.
"The officers showed incredible restraint in this incident and we are incredibly proud of the actions that they took that day to keep her safe and civilians safe," Schwartz told reporters on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024.
At the scene, police recovered a loaded .38 caliber Smith & Wesson handgun with eight rounds, and officials said, one round was in the chamber.
The woman was taken to Montgomery County Emergency Services for evaluation and charges, officials said. Police did not reveal the specific charges she faces.
Police officials said an investigation is ongoing and they are asking anyone who may have cell phone video of the incident to contact Detective Sergeant Chris Schwartz at the Plymouth Township Police Department at 610-279-1901.
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