East Mount Airy woman waved a loaded gun at Guitar Center shoppers in Plymouth Township, police say

A woman police described as emotionally disturbed threatened customers and staff inside a Guitar Center in Plymouth Township on Saturday, police said, brandishing a loaded handgun that she pointed at two employees’ heads.

Cynthia Dargan, 63, has been charged with attempted aggravated assault, simple assault, terroristic threats, reckless endangerment, and related crimes in connection with the incident, court records show.

Police were called to the Guitar Center inside the Metroplex Mall on Chemical Road just before 2 p.m. for reports of a woman armed with a gun, according to the affidavit of probable cause for Dargan’s arrest.

Customers and store employees told police Dargan had walked in with a handgun in a holster, the affidavit said. Something about her seemed “off,” the witnesses said, and she began talking to herself.

At one point, they said, Dargan picked up a $2,500 guitar and began carrying it around the store and talking to other customers. She told them she was a veteran and a retired police officer. (Dargan worked for the Philadelphia Police Department between 2015 and 2021 as a forensic scientist, according to a department spokesperson.)

Dargan then began to speak incoherently, the affidavit said, and she resisted the store manager’s attempts to take back the guitar.

“You don’t know what I have. You don’t know what I’ll do,” she told the manager before pulling out a handgun, still inside its holster, and pointing it at his head, the affidavit said.

Dargan then walked around the store with the gun, pointing it at another employee’s head as he called the police. Some customers fled, while others sought refuge in the back of the store, according to the affidavit.

Eventually, Dargan left the store and stood on the sidewalk outside.

When Plymouth Township officers arrived, she was holding the gun and its holster, and refused their commands to drop it, the affidavit said. She pointed the gun at the officers multiple times, according to the affidavit.

Eventually, she lay down on the ground, keeping the weapon at her side and refused to move away from it, as the officers directed her to do. Dargan then put her hands behind her head, seemingly in surrender, according to the affidavit.

Officers took her into custody without any incident. They recovered a loaded, .38 caliber Smith & Wesson handgun from her.

No one was hurt.

Anyone who witnessed or has footage of the incident is asked to contact Plymouth Township Police at 610-279-1901.

Staff writer Ryan Briggs contributed to this article.