Evacuees were being led back inside shortly after 5:30 p.m.
UPDATE: The LAPD has finished clearing the Century City Mall & it’s being reopened for business. There was no evidence of a shooting & Bomb Squad determined the suspicious device was not an explosive. We truly appreciate everyone’s patience in dealing with this lengthy incident.
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) March 16, 2019
Los Angeles police said there was no evidence of a shooting, and bomb squad officials determined a suspicious box at the scene was not an explosive.
Nobody was immediately detained or arrested but there is suspicion an individual may have lit the box on fire. Investigators said there were no injuries reported.
It all started shortly before 1 p.m. Los Angeles police said that during the search for a reported man with a gun, officers were directed to a suspicious box inside the Amazon Store. Video from AIR7 HD showed smoke coming from the Amazon Store. It’s unclear what was inside the box.
The box began to smoke when an individual described by witnesses as a man with a green bandanna and bushy hair left the Amazon store. Authorities are looking at surveillance video to determine whether that person lit the package on fire.
At about 2:30 p.m. LAPD urged those sheltering in place to remain calm and exit the location. Images sent to the Eyewitness Newsroom showed customers sheltering in place inside the H&M basement. After being stuck in there for about two hours, they were later evacuated.
All available police resources were sent to the mall, including the bomb squad.
Authorities cleared out the mall safely. Many shoppers and employees were escorted out the nearest exit. Nearby Beverly Hills High School was placed on lockdown as a precaution due to incident, the Beverly Hills Police Department said.
It was a scary situation for some.
“I had just clocked into work and then I saw my co-workers running, and he said, ‘Drop everything and run,’ and we just ran out the door. As we were running out the door, we heard a shot, and then I saw security, and mall security said just keep running, keep going,” said mall employee Gisell Lopez.
Police set up a perimeter around the mall and shut down Santa Monica Boulevard due to the investigation.
LAPD West LA Division is responding to calls of an “Active Shooter” at the Century City Mall. We have officers on scene who are clearing the location, but at this time we have NO evidence of a shooting or victims.
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) March 15, 2019
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