Police: Man drove stolen vehicle to mall Tuesday, tried to steal shoes, fought security

Springfield police say a man stole a vehicle from a dealership lot and drove it to Battlefield Mall Tuesday, where he attempted to steal a watch and riffled through boxes of shoes before getting into a fight with mall employees.

Bryant Michael Burton, 26, of Springfield, was booked into the Greene County Jail shortly after 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, Springfield police spokeswoman Lisa Cox said, officers responded to mall shoe store Finish Line following a report that an individual was fighting with employees and mall security.

Burton had been found going through boxes of shoes in a restricted back storage room, Cox said, and refused to leave when confronted, ultimately spitting in a security guard's face.

Prior to going to Finish Line, Cox said, Burton tried to take a watch from jewelry store Zales, and threatened employees there. Burton was found with a car key in his pocket. Cox said it corresponded to a stolen vehicle parked outside the mall.

The incident allegedly involving Burton is separate from another fight at Battlefield Mall Tuesday evening that shattered a front window of one store. According to KOLR10, which posted video of the fight recorded by a witness' cell phone, two males began fighting outside the mall's American Eagle store, according to Springfield police. A third person was trying to break up the fight when they fell through the glass.

"This behavior will not be tolerated at our mall," Mall general manager Mike Martin told KY3. "We are working with the Springfield Police Department during their investigation, once the suspects are identified they will be banned from the center."