Suspect arrested after allegedly threatening to “shoot up” the IV Mall

A suspect was taken into custody after police received a disturbance call at the Imperial Valley Mall (IV Mall), on Monday.

The suspect allegedly told customers and employees he was going to “shoot up” the mall, according to the El Centro Police Department ( ECPD ).

” IV Mall and one of the stores chose to evacuate their own customers, that wasn’t the police’s decision that was theirs. We responded to the location, but he had left the mall prior to our arrival, ” said Reel.

According to police, witnesses were able to identify the suspect in question.

“They were able to locate Claudio Salazar, who is a transient from Calexico , in the area of Best Buy,” said reel.

Initial reports stated that the suspect was carrying a weapon, but when police arrested him, he had no weapons in his possession.

“It was really scary and really surprising to hear about something like that happening in the valley,” said Naya Espinoza, resident of El Centro.

ECPD said the incident wasn’t a major threat, but they understand the public’s concern in light of the recent mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio.

“Just hearing what’s happening in the news, even that made me scared, but hearing about it here just made it ten times worse, but I guess that’s the reality now these days,” said Espinoza.

Officers say the Imperial Valley Mall took all the proper security measures that were needed.

The suspect was arrested and booked into the Imperial County Jail.

He is facing charges for criminal threats and resisting a public officer. His bail is set at $25,000.