BATON ROUGE, La. — One person was arrested and another cited after an altercation at a Baton Rouge Walmart where one of the men pointed a gun at the other, who was armed with scissors, WBRZ reports.
The incident was first thought to be a shooting, leading to a widespread panic and the evacuation of the store. Customers initially feared the incident was a "possible active shooter" situation, according to 911 calls.
After the incident, the sheriff's office clarified the nature of the incident.
According to the WBRZ report, one man, reportedly the aggressor, told another man "Hey I've got something for ya," before walking away and returning with a pair of scissors, holding them as if he were about to stab the other man.
According to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office, the other man, who had a concealed-carry permit, drew his gun and pointed it at the scissors-wielding man, who dropped them and ran.
At some point during the encounter, a witness reportedly shouted "Gun!" which prompted "total chaos" in the store, according to WBRZ.
Robert Tucker, the gun-wielding man, was arrested on charges of disturbing the peace and aggravated assault with a firearm. Jacob Bess, the other man, was issued a misdemeanor summons (a citation) for disturbing the peace
During that chaos, customers told responding officers that they had heard what they believed to be shots fired in the store. Furthermore, one person arrived at a hospital after the incident and told emergency room staff he had been shot in the incident.
However, police later learned that person's injuries happened from falling while attempting to flee the store. No one was actually shot throughout the incident.
Officials said that, perhaps due to increased sensitivity from the weekend shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, customers raced from the store and in some cases placed 911 calls to report a shooter at the store.
“Given the recent events in El Paso and Dayton, and given the initial information we received via 911 calls and witnesses exiting the store, we responded with what we feel is appropriate,” the sheriff's office said in a statement. “The national climate regarding these incidents has the nation on edge and citizen’s anxiety levels much higher than normal.”
Dozens of law enforcement officers responded to the scene as if there were an active shooter.