A 20-year-old man is facing felony-level charges after police say he pointed what looked like a real rifle at shoppers inside a Walmart in Marple Township, sending customers running and triggering a full evacuation of the store. Officers took the man into custody outside the building and later found the weapon — an all-black BB gun rifle — abandoned inside.
Marple Township Police identified the suspect as 20-year-old Taeshawn Salmon, who was processed at police headquarters, according to Marple Township Police Department. As reported by NBC10 Philadelphia, Salmon is under arrest after allegedly pointing the gun as if he were about to shoot people inside the store, and he is now waiting for his arraignment.
Officers from Marple Township and surrounding municipal agencies responded to the Walmart at 400 S. State Road around 12:30 p.m. on September 30 after dispatchers received updated reports that a man was pointing a large firearm inside and shoppers were fleeing, per the same account from Marple Township police. The store is in Marple Township, as reported by Patch.
Suspect Caught Outside, Weapon Found Inside
Responding officers apprehended Salmon outside the storefront without incident, and he did not have the gun on him at the time, according to NBC10 Philadelphia. FOX 29 Philadelphia reports that the weapon was subsequently located inside the building and identified as an all-black BB gun rifle. Salmon was charged with terroristic threats and simple assault and was being held at Marple Township police headquarters, located at 1001 Sussex Boulevard in Broomall, awaiting his initial court appearance.
How a BB Gun Triggers Felony Charges
Pennsylvania law treats air rifles and pneumatic weapons differently from lethal firearms, but brandishing a realistic-looking air weapon in public still exposes a person to the state's terroristic threat and assault statutes, according to legal guidance published by Evike.com. Under 18 Pa.C.S. § 2701(a)(3), simple assault by physical menace occurs when someone attempts to place another person in fear of imminent serious bodily injury, a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to two years in prison — notably, no physical contact is required to meet that threshold.
The terroristic threats charge carries far steeper stakes because of what happened next: the evacuation. Under 18 Pa.C.S. § 2706(d), terroristic threats normally graded as a first-degree misdemeanor escalate to a third-degree felony when the threat causes a building evacuation or disrupts normal operations, exposing a defendant to up to seven years in prison and a $15,000 fine. Pennsylvania law also requires anyone convicted under that evacuation provision to pay full restitution covering the cost of the emergency police, fire, and medical response, per 18 Pa.C.S. § 2706(b).
A Multi-Agency Response
The Wednesday incident drew officers from Marple Township and neighboring departments after dispatchers initially described a man carrying a large gun inside the store.
It remains unclear what prompted Salmon to allegedly point the BB gun rifle at shoppers, and details on his bail status or formal arraignment outcome had not been made public as of this report. The case is expected to proceed through Delaware County's court system following his initial custody at Marple Township police headquarters.
