Police Arrest Man With Guns Outside Apple Store in Old Pasadena

A man who reportedly opened two gun cases and claimed to have six firearms while outside the Apple Store in Old Pasadena was arrested Friday in an incident witnessed by a television news crew.

The incident unfolded around 9:20 a.m. Friday in front of 54 W. Colorado Blvd., near Fair Oaks Avenue, according to Pasadena city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian.

A KTLA news crew happened to be at the scene and captured the encounter on camera. Reporter Kimberly Cheng and photojournalist Andre Cox were setting up a live shot outside the Apple Store when they encountered the armed individual, according to Yahoo News.

The man was allegedly carrying several guncases and seemed to be speaking frantically on his phone about a custody dispute, with the news crew noting they could hear a police dispatcher’s voice on the line.

The news crew saw several long firearms inside the man’s cases. Footage recorded by the KTLA camera appeared to show the man counting the weapons and claiming he had six. He reportedly asked if two bystanders wanted to view his guns.

The KTLA crew swiftly distanced themselves and alerted authorities, according to Yahoo News.

Officers were dispatched to the location after the man reportedly told the Pasadena Police Department dispatcher that he was in possession of six guns, Derderian said.

When police arrived, one attempted to apprehend the man, who resisted, resulting in a brief struggle, according to Yahoo News. Another officer intervened, and together they restrained the man on the sidewalk.

The man was arrested on an outstanding warrant, and none of the guns was loaded, according to KTLA.

Derderian stated that the suspect met the criteria for a psychiatric hold and was taken to a facility for mental evaluation.

“Several gun parts were confiscated at the scene and a subsequent search of his residence was conducted and items seized will be part of the ongoing investigation,” Derderian said in a statement.

Two witnesses reportedly expressed bewilderment at seeing the armed man alongside the KTLA crew, both initially thinking it was part of a movie shoot.

The motive behind the man’s actions remains unclear. He was not initially named and is described as a 39-year-old man from Alhambra.

Police said officers acted quickly and that an investigation was ongoing.