High-risk sex offender allegedly dresses as woman, takes photos of females in public restroom – then offender brandishes pepper-ball gun after being chased by victim: Police

A repeat sex offender was arrested on Christmas Eve after being accused of taking photographs of females in a public bathroom at the Hulen Mall in Fort Worth, Texas, and brandishing a pepper-ball gun.

Around 4:30 p.m. Saturday, police received a call that a man with a gun had allegedly threatened to shoot a woman.

According to authorities, the incident began when a woman using the bathroom noticed a cell phone pointing at her underneath the stall.

"While she was using the restroom, she observed what she believed to be a cell phone coming from underneath the stall," said Fort Worth police corporal Joshua Johnson.

The victim exited the stall and chased after the perpetrator, whom she described as a man dressed as a woman. The suspect was later identified as 45-year-old Douglas Egan, a repeat sex offender.

The female victim followed Egan outside, where another man attempted to intervene and stop the suspect from leaving the premises.

"At that point, the suspect pulled out and presented what appeared to be a gun," said Johnson. "He pulled it from a backpack which he was carrying and pointed it at that first witness and then continued to flee."

Multiple witnesses told police that they observed the suspect change out of women's clothing. No one was injured during the incident, and no shots were fired.

Egan was later arrested at a nearby apartment complex and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and improper photo/video in a bath/dress room. Police determined that the gun the suspect had brandished during the incident was a pepper-ball gun.

According to the Texas Sex Offenders registry, Egan is considered a "high"-risk offender who has been convicted multiple times for indecent exposure. Egan was released from prison earlier this year after serving seven years for a felony indecent exposure conviction involving a 16-year-old female.

"Thank you to the Good Samaritans for stepped up, who saw a confrontation they deemed to be inappropriate and just got involved. It takes the community getting involved to protect us," said Johnson.