Shoppers call for more security after man pulls gun at Birkdale Village

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - From a night of family fun to running for cover. People enjoying a Saturday at Birkdale village were rushing to find safety after Huntersville police say a man pulled a loaded gun out in a restaurant.

Officers arrested James Harrison III and charged him with assault by pointing a gun and communicating threats.

Read --> Man accused of pulling gun at Birkdale Village: What allegedly happened

On any given day if you drive through Birkdale Village, you’ll see families and people enjoying the restaurants, shops or other events in the area.

Saturday night, people were running for cover after police say a man pulled a gun in the middle of the dinner rush.

A family night to watch movies on the lawn turned into a dash for safety for Melissa Mizrahi and her family.

“Then all you see is a storm of people, a crowd of people running towards us to get out of Birkdale Village,” Mizrahi said. “We were there maybe 30, 40 minutes, when all of a sudden, the whole old crowd, we all heard pop, pop, pop, pop, like four to seven times.”

Huntersville police say at North Italia, James Harrison III got into a fight with a stranger after accidentally rubbing shoulders.

Court documents said at least four people saw Harrison pull out a gun, point it at the person and say multiple times “I’ll kill you” or “I’m going to kill you.” Police say the gun was never fired, but they did recover a loaded weapon from the scene.

Read --> Man charged after police say he pointed gun, threatened person at Birkdale Village

Emily Marks lives in Huntersville and says she’d like to see more security in the popular spot.

“I’ve noticed that the police car is parked there. I don’t know that I’ve ever actually seen the officers out of the vehicle that early in the day, and I think maybe I’ve seen a security officer once or twice, but definitely not super visible presence as far as I’ve seen when I’ve been over there,” Marks said.

Huntersville police say off-duty officers were working in the area and were able to get to the restaurant quicky.

Marks and Mizrahi said it might take time before they go back.

“I would maybe be a little bit hesitant to go in the evenings for a while if stuff keeps happening, and I’d certainly be more hesitant to go over with my son,” Marks said.

“It’s such a shame, you know, you go somewhere like Birkdale and you with your children to enjoy a night out watching a kids movie and you can’t even feel safe in your own town,” Mizrahi said.

We reached out to Birkdale Village and North Italia’s parent company for statements. As of this writing we have not heard back.

Harrison was initially given a $15,000 secured bond by a magistrate Saturday. Court records show he posted bond early Saturday morning. He was in court Monday afternoon for a first appearance.