Man claiming to be 'hunting terrorist' arrested with guns outside Galleria

By Jamie Self - The Herald

A man who claimed to be a Navy cook hunting terrorist was arrested Sunday with three guns in the parking lot of the Galleria Walmart.

The 53-year-old Charlotte man was charged with unlawful carrying of a pistol after he was stopped by police on suspicion of harassment in the Walmart parking lot on Dave Lyle Boulevard in Rock Hill, according to a Rock Hill police report.

Around 9 a.m. on Sunday, police responded to a harassment call where the victim alleged the man had contacted her to say he was a Secret Service agent coming to get her. She said the man had recently been acting strangely and had written several notes to her.

According to the report, when police called the man, he told the officer he was "a cook for the US Navy hunting terrorist" and that he was at the Galleria Mall trying to locate a recruiter.

The officer dispatched the man's location and vehicle description to another officer located in the parking lot of Walmart.

The suspect flagged down the officer and asked him where the recruiter's office was located. The officer approached the suspect's truck and asked him to exit his vehicle.

The officer found a Glock 10 mm pistol in the man's waistband and detained him. The suspect told the officer there were two more firearms in the truck.

The officer found a pistol under the driver's seat and a rifle under the rear passenger seat. The officer also found a Glock pistol magazine and a FNH pistol magazine in the suspect's pants pocket, and three FNH magazines along with a shoulder holster in the center armrest.