From NewsChannel 9: An affidavit reveals more details about an incident involving a gun at Hamilton Place Mall in Chattanooga on Saturday. &nbs
From NewsChannel 9: An affidavit reveals more details about an incident involving a gun at Hamilton Place Mall in Chattanooga on Saturday.
One man now faces charges, but police say the primary suspect, who was seen with a sawed-off shotgun in his waistband, is still at large.
Guns are not allowed at the mall.
The incident happened a little before 1 p.m. inside Dick’s Sporting Goods.
The affidavit says the still-unidentified suspect was with another man. An employee saw them, and called police.
Arriving officers spotted a dark-colored Chevrolet Equinox with Georgia tags. They determined the SUV was being driven by a man wanted for three documented ‘shots fired’ incidents in Chattanooga — including one on the same day. They also determined the vehicle had been stolen.
Officers tried to stop the SUV, but the driver struck a police patrol vehicle and managed to get away, with it last seen driving down Shallowford Road.
Police then backtracked to the mall to track down the second man seen by employees.
On surveillance video, officers located the second suspect, later identified as 20-year-old Robert Monk, inside the H&M clothing store with a red shopping bag.
Police apprehended Monk inside the store. The affidavit says on him, they found a bag with almost 100 grams of fentanyl inside. But the report says they didn’t find the red shopping bag until later.
The affidavit says Monk ditched the bag inside the H&M store, and inside it was a fully-loaded 9 millimeter pistol.
This store was full of innocent bystanders who were shopping and doing normal activities,’ the affidavit says. ‘Someone could have easily picked up the firearm or could have accessed it due to Monk just disregarding the firearm.
Police arrested Monk and charged him with reckless endangerment, tampering with evidence, possession of the firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of drugs for resale, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Hamilton Place Mall prohibits all firearms on the property. On its website, it says “Carrying or displaying weapons of any kind, except those carried by authorized law enforcement officers or security personnel in the performance of their duties and by security officials specifically permitted by shopping center management.”
The hunt continues for the second suspect. Depend on us to keep you posted as we learn more.
