Police in New York Search For Man With No Pants Accused of Firing Gun in Mall

Police are searching for a suspect after a shopping mall in New York was put on lockdown Monday morning. Officials told ABC that the man was attempting to steal clothing from one of the stores when he got into a physical struggle with security.

Police say the suspect had a gun on him that went off inside the mall during the struggle.

While this suspect appears to have acted alone, organized retail theft is a growing concern across the state of New York. According to NYC.gov, shoplifting complaints have risen almost every year since 2018, with a whopping 44% increase taking place from 2021 to 2022.

Police Say Man With No Pants Escapes After Shot Fired at New York Mall

ABC is reporting that Nassau County police responded to reports of shots fired at the Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream late Monday morning. Police say the man tried to steal clothing from the Clique store inside the mall when he got into a struggle with security.

See Also: Where's My Hair? Police Say Thief Hit New York Shop And Stole Thousands Worth of Wigs

It was during this struggle, that a gun the suspect was carrying accidently discharged, according to ABC. The suspect also had no pants on as he escaped, according to authorities.

Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said "..he got in a red SUV, when he fled he had one sneaker on and he no longer had pants on."

No one was hurt during the incident.

Police Say New York State Man Used Stolen Vehicle to Steal Another One

The New York State Police said in a press release troopers responded to a business on Route 9 in Moreau, NY, for the reports of a stolen commercial vehicle Sunday morning.

See Also: Man in New York State Allegedly Stole Boat, Went For Joyride

State Police said that an investigation determined that a 19-year-old man from Glens Falls reportedly stole a tow truck from the business. But there's more to the story. A further investigation determined the suspect had driven a vehicle, that allegedly had also been stolen that same day from Glens Falls to the location on Route 9.

State Police said the suspect left the first stolen vehicle there prior to stealing the tow truck.