Man threatens patrons with assault rifle at Ballantyne restaurant

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said a man came back with an assault rifle and threatened at least seven people about two hours after being asked to leave a Ballantyne restaurant near 2:30 a.m.

“That’s pretty alarming and it’s pretty dangerous,” said Jasharey Hailey who works at a nearby salon.

“There’s nothing you can do in a situation like that but run,” Loren McFadden told Channel 9.

McFadden lives nearby and called the incident outside of the Fox and Hound surprising. She called the busy shopping center on John J. Delaney Drive family-oriented.

“It’s just crazy, especially in the area we live in,” McFadden said. “You don’t expect that.”

Eyewitness News crime-mapped the area and found this incident is the only violent crime reported within a mile of the shopping center in the last month.

“Nothing bad really happens over here so it’s pretty alarming,” Hailey said.

Nobody was hurt but people we spoke with hope police find out who that man was as soon as possible.

McFadden told Channel 9 the incident changes her mind about crime.

“You’ve just got to be careful wherever you go. It doesn’t matter what side of town you’re on,” she said.

Channel 9 asked CMPD if investigators have identified and arrested the suspect. At last check, we had not gotten a response.

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