See it: Umbrella mistaken for assault rifle sparks mall lockdown
FILE - An umbrella with a samurai-style handle prompted a lockdown at Destiny USA mall in Syracuse, New York, on August 28, 2025. (Credit: Syracuse Police Department)
SYRACUSE, New York - A man carrying an unusual umbrella triggered a lockdown at a New York mall after multiple people mistook it for a gun.
Lockdown initiated at Destiny USA
Dig deeper:
Just after 3:20 p.m. on the afternoon of August 28, 911 calls reporting a man carrying what looked like an AR-15-style weapon near the Destiny USA mall in Syracuse began rolling in.
What they're saying:
One caller told police that he saw the man "cock the gun and sling it over his shoulder," according to WBNG news.
A lockdown was initiated at the mall as Syracuse police got to the scene.
Investigators located the man inside the mall and discovered that the "weapon" in question was actually an umbrella and that there was no threat to public safety.
"The umbrella that was found had a samurai style handle, and was carried with a strap to be slung over one’s shoulder. It should be noted that this umbrella resembled a long gun, specifically the samurai handle, which looked like the barrel of a rifle," police said in a Facebook post published on Thursday.
The man was released from police custody with no charges.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from a Facebook post published by the Syracuse Police Department on August 28, 2025, a Facebook post by the Destiny USA mall and reporting by WBNG news. Storyful also contributed. This story was reported from San Jose.