I CALLED IT, I CALLED IT!!!
Sword-swinger terrorizes shoppers
Man subdued after stealing weapon from mall kiosk
By CHRIS LAMBIE -- Halifax Chronicle-Herald
HALIFAX -- Shoppers fled with their tots in tow Thursday afternoon when a man stole a sword from a kiosk in the Halifax Shopping Centre and started swinging the weapon at shoppers.
Halifax Regional Police took a 28-year-old man into custody and he is to appear in Halifax provincial court today. Police weren’t sure Thursday night what charges he would face, Staff Sgt. Jim Butler said.
The man was taken to hospital after police used a stun gun to subdue him, Staff Sgt. Butler said.
"He was very distraught and taken into custody," he said.
"But as far as if he had an issue with somebody, that hasn’t been determined at this point."
The incident started at the House of Knives, where a man punched a glass case and removed a large, shiny sword.
"He started waving it around and twirling it over his head," one eyewitness said.
"He was also dragging it on the ground and making this horrible scraping noise."
The man sounded like he was trying to confront someone, she said.
"He was going, ‘Come on, come on.’ He sounded like he was yelling at someone, like he was already in a fight. And he kept swearing."
The eyewitness, who did not want to be named, backed away from the man.
"I tried not to make eye contact," she said.
"I thought he was going to hurt someone."
Word circulating at the mall Thursday night was the swordsman was going after some men who had been picking on him, she said.
"He didn’t do anything to them; he just went down toward the escalators."
The man then ran back to where he had stolen the 1.5-metre sword, grabbed his bag and jacket from the floor and headed toward Sears.
"He just ran down the hallway swinging the sword," said Arran Thorpe, who works at Birks.
Police got the call at 5:35 p.m. and were on the scene in about a minute.
"There were all kinds of cops and they were running and had their batons out and Tasers ready to go," Mr. Thorpe said.
"It was crazy."
The man waved the sword at shoppers as he walked through the mall, Staff Sgt. Butler said.
"Nobody was hurt, nobody was struck," he said.
The swordsman came within three metres of one shopper.
"Security at the mall were trying to get behind him but they couldn’t get near him because he was just swinging like mad," said the man, who didn’t want his name used. "I don’t know what the hell he was on."
The 47-year-old eyewitness ducked under the escalator to avoid the swordsman.
"I don’t like walking home with my head under my arm," he said.
People sought shelter in nearby stores.
"A lady (and her young son) came running in the store yelling at me to close the doors right away - there was a crazy guy down the hallway swinging his sword that he apparently stole from one of the knife places," said Roger Bosch, who works at Athletes World.
"There were a lot of people running in every direction after she came in. The next thing you know, all the stores started closing the doors and people started running like it was a bomb threat or something."
Security and police were quickly on the scene, said another eyewitness who watched the arrest.
"He was swinging (the sword) at a lot of people - swinging randomly," he said.
"He was coming awfully close to anybody who was nearby."
The swordsman, who was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and jeans, was yelling at police, who located him near a mall exit beside Sears.
"They drew guns on him and they eventually Tasered him and incapacitated him," said the eyewitness, who also spoke on condition of anonymity.
"They took him out on a stretcher," Mr. Bosch said.
Stores in the mall reopened soon afterward.
"We were only delayed for about 13 minutes," Mr. Bosch said.
The incident left shoppers and store staffers shaken.
"A lot of people were very jittery," Mr. Bosch said.
The manager at the House of Knives refused to comment.
"Apparently the sword isn’t sharpened, but it’s still big and heavy," the female eyewitness said.
Man subdued after stealing weapon from mall kiosk
By CHRIS LAMBIE -- Halifax Chronicle-Herald
HALIFAX -- Shoppers fled with their tots in tow Thursday afternoon when a man stole a sword from a kiosk in the Halifax Shopping Centre and started swinging the weapon at shoppers.
Halifax Regional Police took a 28-year-old man into custody and he is to appear in Halifax provincial court today. Police weren’t sure Thursday night what charges he would face, Staff Sgt. Jim Butler said.
The man was taken to hospital after police used a stun gun to subdue him, Staff Sgt. Butler said.
"He was very distraught and taken into custody," he said.
"But as far as if he had an issue with somebody, that hasn’t been determined at this point."
The incident started at the House of Knives, where a man punched a glass case and removed a large, shiny sword.
"He started waving it around and twirling it over his head," one eyewitness said.
"He was also dragging it on the ground and making this horrible scraping noise."
The man sounded like he was trying to confront someone, she said.
"He was going, ‘Come on, come on.’ He sounded like he was yelling at someone, like he was already in a fight. And he kept swearing."
The eyewitness, who did not want to be named, backed away from the man.
"I tried not to make eye contact," she said.
"I thought he was going to hurt someone."
Word circulating at the mall Thursday night was the swordsman was going after some men who had been picking on him, she said.
"He didn’t do anything to them; he just went down toward the escalators."
The man then ran back to where he had stolen the 1.5-metre sword, grabbed his bag and jacket from the floor and headed toward Sears.
"He just ran down the hallway swinging the sword," said Arran Thorpe, who works at Birks.
Police got the call at 5:35 p.m. and were on the scene in about a minute.
"There were all kinds of cops and they were running and had their batons out and Tasers ready to go," Mr. Thorpe said.
"It was crazy."
The man waved the sword at shoppers as he walked through the mall, Staff Sgt. Butler said.
"Nobody was hurt, nobody was struck," he said.
The swordsman came within three metres of one shopper.
"Security at the mall were trying to get behind him but they couldn’t get near him because he was just swinging like mad," said the man, who didn’t want his name used. "I don’t know what the hell he was on."
The 47-year-old eyewitness ducked under the escalator to avoid the swordsman.
"I don’t like walking home with my head under my arm," he said.
People sought shelter in nearby stores.
"A lady (and her young son) came running in the store yelling at me to close the doors right away - there was a crazy guy down the hallway swinging his sword that he apparently stole from one of the knife places," said Roger Bosch, who works at Athletes World.
"There were a lot of people running in every direction after she came in. The next thing you know, all the stores started closing the doors and people started running like it was a bomb threat or something."
Security and police were quickly on the scene, said another eyewitness who watched the arrest.
"He was swinging (the sword) at a lot of people - swinging randomly," he said.
"He was coming awfully close to anybody who was nearby."
The swordsman, who was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and jeans, was yelling at police, who located him near a mall exit beside Sears.
"They drew guns on him and they eventually Tasered him and incapacitated him," said the eyewitness, who also spoke on condition of anonymity.
"They took him out on a stretcher," Mr. Bosch said.
Stores in the mall reopened soon afterward.
"We were only delayed for about 13 minutes," Mr. Bosch said.
The incident left shoppers and store staffers shaken.
"A lot of people were very jittery," Mr. Bosch said.
The manager at the House of Knives refused to comment.
"Apparently the sword isn’t sharpened, but it’s still big and heavy," the female eyewitness said.