Police arrest Rapid City man following gun scare at Rushmore Mall

The man who caused a panic at Rushmore Mall Sunday afternoon turned out not to have a gun.

Kenneth Woods, 48 of Rapid City, was arrested and charged with obstruction, possession of a controlled substance and an existing warrant.

Police were called to the mall after people reported there was a man with a gun. When police arrived, they were pointed to the suspect; Woods, in the mall’s south parking lot.

Woods, police say, was extremely agitated and at first refused to comply with officer commands. However, he did calm down and was detained without trouble.

While there were several reports that Woods had a gun, police did not find one in their search of Woods or his car. They did find a syringe and baggie; both testing positive for methamphetamine.