INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — The Independence Center was the site of another scare Sunday.
Police said they took a familiar face into custody. Last month, that same man was charged with making terrorist threat at the mall.
Many people thought they heard a gunshot, but police said there wasn’t a shooting.
Ziggy Aguilar, who works at the mall, said she was leaving when it happened at about 6:15 p.m. Aguilar said she heard someone yelling about 15 feet away.
“He didn’t have any shoes on or a shirt,” Aguilar said. “He was very erratic.”
Independence police responded to a report of a suspicious man walking the mall. Police said he entered through the Dick’s Sporting Goods and was possibly holding a bat.
“Right after he yelled, ‘Get down on the ground,’ we heard a very loud sound,” Aguilar said, “and it sounded like a gunshot.”
Police said that sound was a less lethal use of force. They fired a bean bag round, hitting the suspect’s leg. They were able to take him into custody.
That man is familiar to police: 23-year-old Rayvon Lewis, of Blue Springs.
Last month, Lewis was involved in a different incident inside the Independence Center. Video shows him waving a fake gun, sparking panic.
He was charged with making a terrorist threat, a felony. Now he’ll add charges of trespassing, assault, shoplifting and interference with police to the list.
“What’s his motive?” Aguilar asked. “Why does he continue to do this? I don’t understand why he’s trying to torment society.”
Lewis is currently being held on a $20,000 cash bond.
Even though Lewis is behind bars, Aguilar said she’s still uneasy working at the mall, noting several violent incidents.
“Sometimes I get very nervous,” Aguilar said. “As soon as I get into the Independence Mall, I wonder is today going to be another day of a shooting.”
FOX4 reached out to the Independence Center about Sunday night’s arrest, but we have not heard back.
