Police: Sunday standoff at Beacon Center ends peacefully

A scary situation for workers and shoppers at the Beacon Center ended peacefully Sunday after a man suffering what police called “a mental health crisis” surrendered to officers at the scene.

A large number of officers responded to the popular shopping center shortly after 3 p.m., and used extra caution in dealing with individual because he was believed to be armed, a Fairfax County Police spokesman said Monday. Reverse 911 calls were made to individuals and businesses in the area, directing people to shelter in place “out of an abundance of caution,” the spokesman said.

The standoff, which lasted around 30 minutes, caused some tense moments for customers and workers at the mall. Shoppers inside of Giant and Lowe’s reported that they were told to move to the rear of the stores, and witnesses in the parking lot reported seeing officers speaking to an individual through bullhorns while other armed officers secured the scene. Many citizens used social media to reach out to the police for more information.

In the end, no shots were fired and nobody was injured, the FCPD spokesman said. It was not immediately clear if the individual involved was facing an charges related to the incident.