Puppy Escapes Unscathed From Manassas Mall Confrontation

MANASSAS, VA — A Manassas teenager was arrested Monday night for brandishing a gun and abandoning a puppy he was carrying at the Manassas Mall, according to police. At 8 p.m. Monday, Prince William County Police Department officers went to the mall to investigate a report by a man and a woman that a teenage boy had brandished a firearm after getting into an argument with the couple.

The 16-year-old suspect and three females allegedly threw food at the man and woman, both 31, while they were in the mall's food court. The food-throwing led to an argument followed by the 16-year-old approaching the couple and lifting his shirt to show them a firearm in his waistband, according to police.

The couple, who were not injured, left the food court and called police. Responding Prince William County police officers approached the suspect, who then ran from the officers out of the mall after abandoning a puppy he was carrying. The puppy was not injured, the police said.

During the foot pursuit, the teenager tossed the gun into the mall parking lot and attempted to hide behind a vehicle. Officers found the 16-year-old and took him into custody. The police also found the suspect's gun he had tossed.

The three females with the teenage boy were detained and charged with possession of marijuana. Also, a fully loaded magazine and suspected marijuana were located in the teenage suspect's vehicle, the police department said.

The 16-year-old boy was charged with two counts of brandishing a firearm, one count of possession of a firearm by a person under 18, one count of possession of a concealed firearm, one count of possession of marijuana and one count of animal cruelty. The teenager is being held at the Prince William County Juvenile Detention Center.

The puppy, who survived the incident unscathed, was turned over to a family member, the police said.