UPDATE: The suspect, who had appeared agitated and talking to himself during the incident, was taken into custody without incident at 4:40 p.m., dropping his bag. It is not currently known if he was armed.
Shoppers were evacuated and heavily armed officers from Concord and Pleasant Hill cordoned off a large quadrant of Sun Valley Mall after a man entered the complex, reportedly armed with a weapon of undetermined type.
Most of the mall’s stores are currently locked down with employees and shoppers evacuated or advised to shelter in place.
The man, reportedly carrying a bag of some type, was spotted near JC Penney’s and police have maneuvered to keep him under observation.
No shots have been fired and we have no clear description of what type of weapon, if any, he has in his possession. We’ll update this story as additional details become available.
The Concord police department posted this account late Wednesday:
At approximately 2:45pm, Concord PD received a call from Sunvalley Shopping Center Security who advised there was a male subject inside the mall, on the upper level near JC Penney, acting strangely and in possession of a small duffle bag.
Security reported the subject mentioned to them that he had a firearm and would use it if approached, although no firearm had been seen. Officers arrived and began evacuating the mall with the assistance of mall security.
Containment of the male subject was established by CPD Officers and Contra Costa County Sheriff Deputies who responded to assist. Officers maintained visual contact of the male subject, who remained stationary. After the mall was cleared of patrons, a drone was used to fly inside the mall in order to establish verbal communication with the male subject. He subsequently surrendered to officers, at approximately 4:45pm, and was taken into custody without incident.
No firearm or other weapon was located. The mall reopened a short time later. The investigation is still ongoing.
You guys are so fast…..
What’s next for the Sun Valley Mall? An airplane crash?
Oh, wait…
How long before the entire mall is razed and a 6-story condo complex is built in its place?
Not a moment too soon!
Sun Valley Mall long ago devolved into a forlorn magnet for two-bit criminal enterprises, thieves, predators and deranged, unwashed addicts.
New, market rate townhomes and condos would vastly improve the northern Contra Costa Boulevard corridor.
By that logic we should raze Broadway plaza first as the crime rate there is higher than SunValley. I’m curious how often you visit Sunvalley Mall b/c my family goes there often and I have yet to see this mass of deranged unwashed addicts of which you speak.
One only needs to look at the Hilltop Mall in Richmond. Once the indoor mall business began collapsing, Hilltop and nearly all indoor malls around the country simply became empty ‘ghost malls,’ which then became ideal locations for often illegal activities. I believe Hilltop is on it’s way to becoming housing, and much needed.
Pleasant Hill seems to have become a magnet for all sorts of criminal activity in recent years. How many car chases have ended here? How many illegal fireworks do we hear most every night? How many prison escapees manage to end up here, etc….?
News24/680 on it as usual!
Read your post through to the end and glad we did! Thanks for the kind mention…
Sun Valley is actually in Concord, but yes your right about P.Hill. It’s not the quiet suburb next to upscale WC and the less upscale Concord anymore.
Having grown up here I’ve lived in all three at one time or another.
As for the whole 680 corridor it seems to slowly becoming more like the other side of the hills in either direction.
Have a cop shop in there. …or 2…with a few cop cars. As dummy cars. That. Move during the day. So theifs. Wont know if really they are there. I dont think a gun man. Or ctime would happen. If they think cops there with their guns also. Security. Cant do much except. Call police anyway….all they need is 8 cops ..2 walk from penny too sears. Then when half way 2 more walk same..then on lower level. Sears 2 walk half way. Then other 2. Then their is police present.
Maybe have them. Act like they arrested a person. As shoppers watch. And spead word. Cop there. For stuff. That didnt happen….
Never a dull minute around here.
We’re toast. We’re allowing the inmates to run the asylum.
Did he say why he feltt it was necessary to do this?