NEW YORK, NEW YORK – A man who pulled a gun during a dispute inside a Chelsea bodega on Thursday was arrested after being subdued by a good Samaritan nearby.
Police said Jason Fleming brandished a rifle and a handgun outside London Grocery Smoke Shop on 10th Avenue and West 25th Street shortly after 4 pm.
Fleming got into an argument with a customer inside the shop and, after leaving, brandished a rifle. He then stood at the door of the shop holding a handgun.
NYPD officers were dispatched to the scene after receiving a 911 call.
Fleming fled, but was stopped by a good Samaritan who grabbed him and subdued him until police officers arrived a short time later. Police said the weapons were a Hi-Point carbine rifle and a Smith and Wesson .357 magnum.
As alleged, the defendant illegally brandished two loaded firearms in broad daylight on a Manhattan street, one of which was a carbine rifle, frightening numerous New Yorkers, including a child. Thanks to our law enforcement partners and the heroic efforts of a Good Samaritan, the defendant was apprehended before he could hurt anyone, and his weapons are now off the streets,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said.
According to a statement by the Department of Justice, “Fleming entered a crowded bodega in the Chelsea neighborhood in Manhattan after having a verbal dispute with a man. Fleming then stood in the doorway of the bodega and flashed a handgun as a girl attempted to leave the bodega. The child then ran away from the store when she was able to pass by Fleming onto the sidewalk. The surveillance video then shows Fleming outside the bodega and pulling back his coat momentarily to reveal a rifle that had been swung over his shoulder.”
Police officers then approached Fleming after a witness called 911, and he took off running down the sidewalk. While running, he brandished a semiautomatic carbine rifle in broad daylight while frightened civilians began running away from him.
After a brief foot pursuit, he was arrested.