BAN UMBRELLAS

Umbrella mistaken for assault rifle sparks mall lockdown

 

By Catherine Stoddard 

 

Fox 32 Chicago

Aug 29, 2025 

 

 

An umbrella with a samurai-style handle prompted a lockdown at Destiny USA mall in Syracuse, New York, on August 28, 2025.

 

 

SYRACUSE, New York - A man carrying an unusual umbrella triggered a lockdown at a New York mall after multiple people mistook it for a gun.  

Just after 3:20 p.m. on the afternoon of August 28, 911 calls reporting a man carrying what looked like an AR-15-style weapon near the Destiny USA mall in Syracuse began rolling in. 

A caller told police that he saw the man "cock the gun and sling it over his shoulder," according to WBNG news.

A lockdown was initiated at the mall as Syracuse police got to the scene.

Investigators located the man inside the mall and discovered that the "weapon" in question was actually an umbrella and that there was no threat to public safety.

"The umbrella that was found had a samurai style handle, and was carried with a strap to be slung over one’s shoulder. It should be noted that this umbrella resembled a long gun, specifically the samurai handle, which looked like the barrel of a rifle," police said in a Facebook post published on Thursday.

The man was released from police custody with no charges.