Two teenagers have been arrested after an altercation between two groups at a food court led to the closure of a major Adelaide shopping centre.
The incident took place at Adelaide’s Westfield Marion Center shortly before 3pm on Sunday and sparked widespread reports that an armed person was inside.
Two boys, aged 15 and 16, were arrested and each charged with assault, affray and aggravated robbery, South African police said Monday.
“The police have seized two extendable batons,” reads a police statement.
‘The two teenagers will appear in the Adelaide Youth Court later today. Investigations continue to locate the outstanding suspects.
Shoppers inside Westfield Marion in Adelaide filmed a fight between two groups of teenagers which caused the shopping center to be closed at 2.53pm on Sunday.
Terrified families were among those caught in the chaos at Westfield Marion
Deputy Commissioner Scott Duval said police had received reports of two groups fighting in the food court, with two boys armed with extendable batons.
“(A group) approached another group of boys and an altercation ensued,” he told reporters at the scene Sunday.
“The extendable batons are seen and at this time we cannot rule out other weapons, but we have reports that a knife may have been involved.”
Duval said three boys chased another group of teenagers through downtown and into the David Jones store.
“That was the first part of our focus that we put our specialized attention on, to begin cleaning the center to ensure the safety of all people,” he said.
“We are at a point where we can safely clear the center with specialized police and allow people who were still sheltering in place to leave.”
Duval said it was clear from the security cameras that it was not a random attack.
“It appears the boys know each other, but obviously we are still in the early days of investigating the incident,” Mr. Duval said.
A 77-year-old woman suffered a shoulder injury while fleeing the center and another person in her 30s injured her knee, the South Australian Ambulance Service said.
One of the patients was being taken to Flinders Medical Center for treatment and paramedics remained at the shopping centre, a spokesperson said.
Heavily armed police officers had secured the Adelaide shopping center by 5pm and all remaining customers were allowed to leave.
Shoppers who ran into stores for safety reasons shared images of the incident as it occurred.
A young woman, who was at the movie theater when the commotion began, told ABC News how it unfolded.
“We were at the movie theater and we heard a noise that said ’emergency’… and no one really knew what it was, if it was a phone or something,” he said.
“Someone came out of the theater and suddenly everyone came in running, running, shouting ‘run, run.’
“Then we got up and started running towards the emergency exit.”
Large digital screens inside the center warned the public about an armed criminal in the complex.
Images from shoppers on social media showed armed officers storming the center as dozens of people tried to run to safety.
The closure comes less than three months after a man armed with a 30cm knife attacked shoppers at Westfield Bondi Junction in Sydney’s east, killing six people, including a security guard.
Westfield Marion is Adelaide’s largest shopping center and is located in Oaklands Park, about 22 minutes south of the CBD.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Crime Stoppers.
Staff and shoppers leave the mall on Sunday night after spending two hours locked inside.
