Syracuse man arrested after gun pointed at pair in DeWitt Chick-fil-A lot

Police arrested a Syracuse man after a parking-lot confrontation outside the Chick-fil-A in DeWitt escalated into a gun threat in one of Onondaga County’s busiest retail corridors.

DeWitt police identified the suspect as Maher A. Mobaraz, 20, of Syracuse. Officers said the incident happened Friday, April 10, 2026, at the Chick-fil-A at 5761 Celi Drive off Erie Boulevard East, after a disagreement inside the restaurant.

According to police, surveillance footage from the restaurant captured Mobaraz approaching a vehicle and pointing a handgun at two people as they were leaving the parking lot. Investigators said the pair was inside their vehicle when the confrontation turned threatening. No injuries were reported.

Police said the response began around 3:45 p.m. after a report that a man had displayed and pointed a handgun at two people. The case remained active into the next day, when an investigating officer located Mobaraz driving on Erie Boulevard East in the Town of DeWitt and stopped his vehicle. He was taken into custody without incident.

Officers said they recovered a Polymer 80 9mm semi-automatic handgun with a laser sight from Mobaraz’s waistband during the arrest. Police also said he did not have a valid New York State pistol permit.

Mobaraz was charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree and menacing in the second degree. He was processed at the DeWitt Police Department and later arraigned in CAP Court, where he was held on $10,000 bond or $5,000 cash bail.

The case highlights how quickly a dispute in a crowded commercial space can become a public safety emergency when a gun is involved. Chick-fil-A’s DeWitt location operates Monday through Saturday, with Friday and Saturday hours extending until 11 p.m., keeping steady traffic flowing through the Celi Drive lot and the Erie Boulevard East corridor well into the evening.