A man in a mask from the movie"Scream" robbed a jewelry store at a Massachusetts mall, briefly putting it into lockdown, before being arrested Monday, police said.
The man, still wearing the mask, was chased down across Route 128 from the Northshore Mall in Peabody by an officer, who found a black BB gun and stolen necklaces and watches on him, according to Peabody police.Wearing the distinctive mask and black clothes, the man gestured that he had a gun, according to police, who said he had a note in a backpack reading,"Put everything in the bag. I'll give you two minutes before I shoot. Don't make a sound."Sign up for NECN newsletters.
The suspected robber, identified as Starlin Batista, a 27-year-old from Peabody, was spotted soon afterward by an officer near an access road to the mall, who chased after the man as he ran away, police said. The officer caught him near Northshore Road, across the highway from the mall. Batista is due to face charges of armed, masked robbery and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in Peabody District Court Tuesday morning, police said. It wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney who could speak to his arrest.