LITTLETON, Colo. — A retired Denver detective was arrested Wednesday evening after he allegedly pulled out a gun and pointed it at another man during an argument in a mall food court.
The incident happened around 7 p.m. at the Southwest Plaza Mall, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. Mall security confronted the suspect — identified as Martin Vigil, 67 — and deputies arrived moments later.
Vigil allegedly told authorities he was a peace officer. Deputies convinced Vigil to put down the weapon, and he was subsequently arrested for felony menacing and impersonating a peace officer.
No one was hurt during the altercation, and no shots were fired, the sheriff's office said.
The incident stemmed from an exchange that happened earlier in the day between the two men.
According to the sheriff's office, Vigil got off the bus but accidentally left his phone behind. When he called his phone, the other man answered it.
The other man told Vigil he would return the phone only if Vigil paid him, according to the sheriff's office. The two agreed to meet at the food court inside the mall. After an argument, Vigil pulled out the gun, the sheriff's office said.
Vigil is a former detective with the Denver Police Department, according to the sheriff's office. He retired in 2019.
