Women arrested after she fires rifle at Charlotte Epicenter complex security
CHARLOTTE NC Sept 1, 2021
Charlotte Mecklenburg police have arrested a woman accused of firing a rifle at security officers at the Epicenter complex in uptown.
A portion of College Street in uptown Charlotte was blocked Monday morning as police responded to a shooting call and began searching for the female suspect.
Dozens of officers responded to the area according to news reports.
According to CMPD, around 6:45 a.m. officers were called to the scene on S. College Street. When they arrived, police were told by a security officer that a woman was armed with a rifle and had fired a round near security.
Nobody was hit by the bullet and no officers returned fired.
Officers had surrounded a red car and appeared to be shouting at someone inside of it, according to reporter Tina Terry. Officers in SWAT gear looked to be arriving as well.
Shortly after 7:30 a.m., members of CMPD’s SWAT Team were able to take the woman into custody safely. A CMPD source told Channel 9 anchor Allison Latos that the woman was suicidal.
The woman was taken to a medical facility to be evaluated, police said.
CMPD credited a collaborative effort between responding officers, the Community Policing Crisis Response Team (CPCRT), and CMPD’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team with being able to deescalate the situation.
“Officers recognize more and more that we have time on our side. You don’t need to get in there immediately and address the situation,” CMPD Capt. Brad Koch said.
The incident was the third time in less than a week where officers confronted someone with a gun and walked away with no one hurt — even some police critics say that’s no coincidence.
