Police: Man Threatens Sears Employees With Hatchet

A man grabbed a hatchet from the hardware department and threatened two Sears store employees Monday afternoon at Mesilla Valley Mall, police said.

Las Cruces police responded to a report of two employees being threatened by a man brandishing a hatchet about 4 p.m. Monday. Officers said the man entered the store and was acting suspiciously and peering through doors that led to the stockroom. Police said the man grabbed a hatchet from the hardware department and then confronted the two store employees in a threatening manner.

Michael E. Scott, 22, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Scott was transported to the Dona Ana County Detention Center with bond set at $10,000.

Police said the store employees convinced Scott to leave the store but he returned and started asking customers if he could borrow a cellphone. Store employees then called police who detained Scott just outside the store.