Man told no mask, no entry pulls knife on security guard
PALMER TWP., Pa. March 24 2021 Authorities allege a Monroe County man threatened a security guard with a pocketknife after being asked to don a mask inside a Northampton County mall.
Palmer Township police charged Averi J. Albanese with simple assault, weapons possession and harassment in connection with the incident Saturday at Boscov’s in the Palmer Park Mall.
Albanese walked into Boscov’s just before 7 p.m. without wearing a mask, contrary to store policy, according to the criminal complaint against him. A store security officer approached Albanese, informed him of the store policy and asked him to put on a mask.
That prompted Albanese to argue with the victim and allegedly spit on his neck. When the security officer ordered Albanese out of the store, the 18-year-old refused and pulled out a pocketknife, inviting the victim to go outside with him, according to court records. The victim took Albanese’s invitation to step outside as a threat.
The security officer followed Albanese outside and identified him to police as the man who drew a knife against him. Palmer Township police said they witnessed the incident on surveillance video.
District Judge Patricia Broscius arraigned Albanese, of Sherwood Forest Road in Jackson Township, hours after his arrest, setting bail at $10,000. He failed to post bail and was sent to Northampton County Prison to await a preliminary hearing tentatively scheduled for March 31.
