July 04. 2008
A 25-year-old South Bend man learned the hard way Wednesday that although you can buy firearms at Wal-Mart you can't carry them.
South Bend police were dispatched to the Wal-Mart on Portage Avenue about 7:30 p.m. for a man with a handgun stuffed down the front of his pants who refused to leave the store.
Employees told police the man entered the store earlier with a handgun in a holster on his hip. Because store policy prohibits customers from carrying exposed firearms, he was asked to leave.
A short while later, however, the man returned to the store, this time with a different handgun stuffed down the front of his pants.
He reportedly approached the employee who had earlier asked him to leave, and said, "What you going to do about this? I'm going to walk through this store with my pistol."
Asked again to leave the store, the man reportedly insisted it was his "constitutional right" to carry the gun, and asked for the store manager.
The manager reiterated the store's policy on firearms, but the man still refused to leave, at which point the manager called police.
As he was being arrested for felony intimidation, the man reportedly began screaming and fell to the ground, forcing officers to drag him handcuffed from the store.
The gun that was stuffed down the man's pants turned out to be a pellet gun, police said.
South Bend Tribune: Local Briefs
A 25-year-old South Bend man learned the hard way Wednesday that although you can buy firearms at Wal-Mart you can't carry them.
South Bend police were dispatched to the Wal-Mart on Portage Avenue about 7:30 p.m. for a man with a handgun stuffed down the front of his pants who refused to leave the store.
Employees told police the man entered the store earlier with a handgun in a holster on his hip. Because store policy prohibits customers from carrying exposed firearms, he was asked to leave.
A short while later, however, the man returned to the store, this time with a different handgun stuffed down the front of his pants.
He reportedly approached the employee who had earlier asked him to leave, and said, "What you going to do about this? I'm going to walk through this store with my pistol."
Asked again to leave the store, the man reportedly insisted it was his "constitutional right" to carry the gun, and asked for the store manager.
The manager reiterated the store's policy on firearms, but the man still refused to leave, at which point the manager called police.
As he was being arrested for felony intimidation, the man reportedly began screaming and fell to the ground, forcing officers to drag him handcuffed from the store.
The gun that was stuffed down the man's pants turned out to be a pellet gun, police said.
South Bend Tribune: Local Briefs