Police say 45-year-old Randolph Nutter surrendered to police late this afternoon after an armed standoff.

AUBURN, Maine (AP) _ Maine State Police say a standoff with an armed man has ended peacefully in Auburn.

Police say 45-year-old Randolph Nutter surrendered to police late Monday afternoon.

Officials had evacuated the Auburn Mall and a Shaw's supermarket as police negotiated with Nutter who was sitting in a Jeep in the Shaw's parking lot.

Police Chief Phil Crowell had said he had tried to snatch a woman's purse in a Wal-Mart parking lot around 11 a.m. Monday and fled when police responded.

Crowell said the man drove to the nearby Shaw's lot and locked himself in his vehicle, threatening to harm himself and others. Police treated the situation as an armed standoff.

The Sun Journal said a Maine State Police tactical team and negotiators assisted Auburn police.