Barricade situation at Westfield Wheaton’s JC Penney resolved; store closed

Police said they have taken Christopher Lawrence, 37, into custody

December 6, 2023 7:13 p.m.

This story, originally published at 2:13 p.m. on Dec. 6, 2023, was updated at 5:45 p.m. on Dec. 6, 2023, to add more details about the incident and the man’s identity.

Christopher Lawrence, 37, was taken into custody after barricading himself in a fitting room in JC Penney at Westfield Wheaton Mall, Montgomery County Police said.

The JC Penney will remain closed for the rest of the day, according to police.

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Around 10:30 a.m., police said they responded to the JC Penney, located at 11160 Veirs Mill Rd. in Wheaton, for a report of a shoplifting in progress.

Police said that Lawrence was allegedly attempting to steal a watch from the JC Penney store and barricaded himself inside a fitting room, armed with a knife. He reportedly threatened officers with the knife, according to police.

The county police’s Emergency Response Team and negotiators were at the scene and tried to persuade Lawrence to exit the fitting room and turn himself in, police said. The store was then evacuated to allow officers to safely manage the incident, according to police.

Around 2:30 p.m., police said their SWAT team deployed pepper balls into the fitting room, and Lawrence was arrested without injury after a four-hour standoff.

Lawrence was evaluated by Montgomery County Fire Rescue personnel and transported to the county’s Central Processing Unit, where he is expected to be charged with first-degree assault.

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No officers or store employees were injured during the incident, police said.

Police said that the incident was contained in one area and there was no threat to the public.

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