Guilderland Police: Louisiana man charged after Crossgates Mall call; Terrorizing charged lodged

GUILDERLAND – A man in Louisiana has been charged in connection with a phone message police called disturbing, one that included the caller saying he’d bring “a militia” to Crossgates Mall while using racial slurs, police said.

Police received a report of the call, indicating it was a message left with the Albany Times Union over the previous weekend, police said.

“The individual indicated he was going to bring ‘a militia’ to Crossgates Mall and used several racial slurs,” Guilderland police said in a release.

Guilderland police investigated and soon zeroed in on a suspect, Gary M. Grzybowski, 66, of Baton Rouge, La. Police worked with officers in Baton Rouge and positively identified the suspect.

Grzybowski was then arrested and charged under Louisiana statute with terrorizing, Guilderland police said.

“While it appears the suspect did not have direct access to weapons the threatening statements made by him were taken very seriously,” Guilderland police wrote. “His threat was determined to be fictitious and no actual threat to the mall.”

The police release did not indicate why the man would have targeted a mall so far away from his home. The incident, however, came days after the mall made it into national and international headlines when a Christmas Eve fight there was captured on video and then went viral online.

Guilderland police thanked police in Baton Rouge and the staff at the Albany Times Union for relaying the incident to police.