Guilderland Police: Mall threat unfounded

Tuesday, December 31, 2019 - 18:10

GUILDERLAND — Police here worked with their counterparts in Baton Rouge to arrest a man in Louisiana who left a disturbing — but, as it turned out, hollow — message last weekend with the Albany Times Union.

“The individual indicated he was going to bring ‘a militia’ to Crossgates Mall and used several racial slurs,” said a Dec. 31 press release from the Guilderland Police, adding, “His threat was determined to be fictitious and no actual threat to the mall.”

The Guilderland Police Department, which received report of the call on Monday, conducted an investigation, it said, and identified a suspect, Gary M. Grzybowski, 66, of 6728 Pikes Lane, Louisiana.

The Times Union reported that its phone system had recorded Grzybowski’s number when he left his message on Friday.

Crossgates Mall has been in the spotlight this week, after a Christmas Eve brawl in a beef jerky outlet went viral. (See related story.) 

The Baton Rouge Police Department arrested Grzybowski, citing him for terrorizing. “It appears the suspect did not have direct access to weapons,” said the release, which commended the staff at the Times Union for “seeing something/saying something” by reporting the message to police for investigation.

Tags:

More Guilderland News

  • Planning board balks at Wolanin’s revisions to decade-old proposal

    A 2015 approval from the Guilderland Town Board allows Wolanin Companies to construct nine apartment buildings, a mixed-use office and retail building, and a clubhouse with a swimming pool. To date, two of 11 proposed buildings have been built while 64 of 210 apartments have gone up. Wolanin this week attributed the delays and proposed changes to, among other things, financial hardships due to “skyrocketing prices,” as well crew loss, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • GCSD faces two lawsuits claiming negligence

    The suit, filed by Moses Ahn of Morgan & Morgan of New York City — which touts itself as “America's Largest Injury Firm” — alleges that Wright was hit by a school bus at the entrance of 113 Krumkill Rd. as he was “riding an e-scooter motor vehicle.”

  • Highway workers push for voluntary recognition to unionize, board voices support

    Supervisor Peter Barber said the delay is because the Public Employee Relations Board “has possession of the cards and, if a majority of the cards are determined by PERB to be valid, then I will ask the board to voluntarily recognize CSEA.”

The Altamont Enterprise is focused on hyper-local, high-quality journalism. We produce free election guides, curate readers' opinion pieces, and engage with important local issues. Subscriptions open full access to our work and make it possible.