Dallas Police Subdue Shoplifter Suspect With Taser

Dallas police subdued a shoplifter at the city's Town East Mall with a Taser, according to WFAA.com.

Witness Gloria Lira provided WFAA with a cell-phone video recording of the incident. According to WFAA, one can hear the police order the suspect to put his hands behind him and the sound of the stun gun.

Town East Mall spokesman Chad Hastings told WFAA that the incident was a "small scuffle." It started around 2 a.m. and was cleared up by 5 a.m.

Witnesses to the incident claiming to hear gunshots were mistaken, Hastings said. The sound they mistook for gunshots was, in fact, furniture being thrown. (Whether the furniture was thrown by the police or the shoplifting suspect is as yet unclear.)

A rash of similar violent encounters amidst the Black Friday shopping frenzy raises the question of whether these incidents may be partly the result of the beefed-up security meant to prevent post-Thanksgiving trouble. While many malls and superstores are promoting enhanced security as a way to keep shoppers safe, reporters have already covered several incidents of police and store security officers responding to disruptive customers and alleged shoplifters with surprising force.