Two teenagers have been arrested after an altercation between two groups at a food court sent a major Adelaide shopping centre into lockdown.
The incident unfolded at Westfield Marion Centre in Adelaide just before 3pm on Sunday and triggered widespread reports of an armed person inside.
Two boys, aged 15 and 16, have been arrested and each charged with assault, affray, and aggravated robbery, SA Police said on Monday.
‘Police have seized two expandable batons,’ a police statement read.
‘The two teens will appear in the Adelaide Youth Court later today. Investigations are continuing to locate any outstanding suspects.’
Shoppers inside Westfield Marion in Adelaide filmed a brawl between two groups of teenagers that caused the shopping centre to enter a lockdown at 2:53pm on Sunday
Terrified families were among those caught up in the chaos at Westfield Marion
Assistant Commissioner Scott Duval said police had received reports of two groups fighting in the food court, with two boys armed with expandable batons.
‘(One group) approached another group of boys and an altercation occurred,’ he told reporters at the scene on Sunday.
‘The expandable batons are seen and at this stage, we cannot discount any other weapons but we have reports that a knife may be involved.’
Mr Duval said three boys chased another group of teenagers through the centre and entered the David Jones store.
‘That was the first part of our focus of where we put our specialist attention, to start clearing the centre to ensure the safety of all people could be assured,’ he said.
‘We are at the point now where we are able to clear the centre safely with specialist police and allow people that were still sheltered in place to leave.’
Mr Duval said it was clear from the CCTV that it was not a random attack.
‘The boys would appear to be known to each other, but obviously we’re still in the early days of investigation of the incident,’ Mr Duval said.
A 77-year-old woman suffered a shoulder injury while fleeing the centre and another person in their 30s injured their knee, South Australia Ambulance Service said.
One of the patients was being transferred to the Flinders Medical Centre for treatment and paramedics remained at the shopping centre, a spokesman said.
Heavily armed police officers had secured the Adelaide shopping centre by 5pm and all remaining patrons were able to leave
Shoppers who rushed into shops for safety shared footage of the incident as it was happening
A young woman, who was in the cinema when the commotion began, told ABC News how it unfolded.
‘We were in the movies and we just heard this noise going on saying ’emergency’… and nobody really knew what it was – if it was a phone or something,’ she said.
‘Someone went out of the movies and all of a sudden everyone just came running in – just sprinting incoming, yelling “run, run”.
‘Then we got up and started sprinting towards the emergency exit.’
Large digital screens inside the centre warned members of the public of an armed offender in the complex.
Social media footage from shoppers showed armed officers storming into the centre while dozens of people attempted to run to safety.
The lockdown 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 the largest mall in Adelaide and is located in Oaklands Park, about 22 minutes south of the CBD.
Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
Staff and shoppers leave the mall on Sunday night after spending two hours locked inside
