Man arrested following standoff outside Mall of America

A man allegedly armed with a shotgun was taken into custody following a police standoff Friday in the Mall of America's north parking lot.

The standoff began a little after 4 p.m., just outside the red and yellow tent for the Royal Canadian International Circus. A 911 caller said the man had a large gun and that he entered the circus tent.

Officers arrived to find a man carrying a shotgun in the parking lot, according to a Bloomington Police Department news release. The man refused to drop the gun, the department said. People were evacuated from the tent as well as a nearby hotel.

Officers reached a family member by phone and learned the man was having a mental health crisis.

Just before 5 p.m., crisis negotiators were communicating with the man and trying to negotiate a surrender, the department said. At 6:15 p.m. the man retreated to his vehicle, and police say he refused to get out.

Police could be seen surrounding the man inside a white SUV, and an armored police truck was brought in with a SWAT team. Flash bangs were fired about 15 minutes prior to his arrest.

The man got out of the vehicle at around 6:45 p.m., and two shots rang out, immediately followed by the man yelling as he fell to the ground.

Officers were seen handcuffing the man, who was alive and moving, and an ambulance moved in before a stretcher was pulled out. He was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center.

Mallgoers were prevented from entering the parking lot during the standoff, and nearby roads were closed down, then reopened after the man was detained.