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A man from Sparta taking a break from shopping at West Towne Mall on Saturday sat down on a couch and found a loaded handgun, police said.

After looking at surveillance video, police located a 16-year-old male, who was arrested and tentatively charged with carrying a concealed weapon.

The man spotted the empty seat on the couch and sat down, but noticed the gun wedged between an armrest and seat cushion.

He contacted security and security notified police, who looked at video and saw a young man get up from the couch to walk with a friend.

"They didn't go far before the young man becomes frantic, as he repeatedly patted his pockets," said police spokesman Joel DeSpain. "He then begins to sprint back to the couch, but sees a security guard ahead of him, going up to meet the man sitting where he was sitting."

The teen also was cited for unlawful trespass, since West Towne Mall is a no weapons zone.

The gun was determined to be stolen from a car parked in a Stonecreek Drive apartment building garage on Aug. 14.

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