Hundreds stampede out of mall in ‘panic’ over false active shooter claims, MI cops say
.png "False reports of an active shooter caused hundreds of people to panic and run out of the Lansing Mall in Waverly, Michigan, authorities said.")
False claims of an active shooter sent hundreds of people running out of a Michigan mall “in a panic,” authorities say.
Deputies responded to what was reportedly an active shooter situation at Lansing Mall, in the Lansing suburb of Waverly, on the night of Saturday, March 15, the Eaton County Sheriff’s Office said in a March 16 news release.
“Deputies were on scene within 30 seconds and observed several hundred people fleeing from the mall in a panic,” the sheriff’s office said, adding that officers from several local police departments and the Michigan State Police converged on the mall.
According to reports, an armed suspect had opened fire inside the mall and there were multiple victims.
But it was all a false alarm.
“Through the investigation, it was determined there was NO SHOOTING, NO SHOOTING VICTIMS, and NO SHOOTING SUSPECT,” the sheriff’s office said.
A mixed martial arts, or MMA, event was taking place at the mall with close to 1,000 people in attendance, promoter Ron DeLeon told MLive.com.
In a Facebook post, DeLeon said safety was “paramount” at the event, and that staff performed pat downs and searched bags upon entry to make sure no weapons were brought in.
However, as the Capital City Cage Fight Championships were nearing their conclusion, staff security said a group of people “ran into” the event claiming there was a gunman, the post said.
“And our crowd went nuts. They basically went to leave. It was just chaos,” DeLeon told MLive. “They have confirmed there was no shooting, there was no witness of anyone seeing a firearm, but it’s the equivalent of yelling, ‘Bomb’ on an airplane. People respond.”
DeLeon says he plans to reschedule the 10th and final fight of the night, which never happened because of the panic.
“It’s just a sad situation because it was a great time out, for families to go out and enjoy some entertainment,” he told the outlet, “and this happens.”
As of Sunday afternoon, the sheriff’s office has not announced any arrests, suspects or possible charges.