Food Court Chaos: Anne Arundel County police investigate gunfire in the Arundel Mills mall
BALTIMORE – Anne Arundel County Police officers investigating a report of shots fired at Arundel Mills mall determined that someone accidentally fired off a round in the food court on Saturday, according to authorities.
Investigators have reviewed video footage and determined that a male accidentally discharged his firearm in the food court, police said.
The male was not arrested because there was no criminal intent involved in his actions, according to authorities.
But also, he did not stick around, Anne Arundel County Police Department public spokesman Lt. A. J. Gardiner told WJZ on Saturday.
"We'll go through a process to see who he was, is he of legal age, does he have legal permits, was this an actual firearm, what exactly occurred and pursue anything if need be—if it's even pertinent," he said.
No one was injured by the gunfire, according to authorities.
It is possible that people were injured while fleeing the food court and exiting the mall, Gardiner said.
There have been several separate medical calls but no one had been transported to a local hospital as of 4:35 p.m., according to an Anne Arundel County Fire Department spokesman.
Michelle Johnson, the older sister of someone who witnessed the gunfire, said her 13-year-old sibling was in shock following the incident.
"In her eyes, she saw the gun drop," Johnson said. "She heard it drop and she left. She stood frozen a little bit. She said her friend was the one who kind of like pulled her away because she was just very shaken up."
Mall patron Sahara Ali described to WJZ how people were flooding out of the mall exits following the gunfire.
Ali and two friends had their shopping trip cut short after the sound of a gunshot sent hte mall into a mandatory evacuation.
"Suddenly, the security person at the mall entrance side of the T.J. Maxx, she started closing the door and people were rushing in," the female shopper said. "And she just asked everybody to move toward the exit store, so we left our stuff inside."
This is the second time in the past eight months that chaos has erupted in the mall following an incident in the food court.
In March, Flying Chairs Create Chaos At Arundel Mills scared shoppers. They fled the area after they mistook the cracking sound of chairs being thrown as gunshots.
By 5:54 p.m., the mall and the Live! Casino had resumed normal operations, according to authorities.
Investigators continued to collect evidence of the gunfire incident, police said in a social media post.
Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman said in a statement that the incident at Arundel Mills mall was indicative of what happens when there are more guns circulating in America's communities.
"Families enjoying a meal in the food court at Arundel Mills experienced the terror of not knowing whether they would be the latest victims of a mass shooting," Pittman said. "People fled, people were hurt, all because a firearm went off in a crowded public space. My heart goes out to everyone present for this incident—nobody should have to go through what you did today."
Pittman said that throughout his tenure he has been promoting policies that would prevent gun violence and death in Anne Arundel County. The incident at the mall on Saturday angered him, he said.
"Politicians glorify guns to get votes, the Supreme Court takes away our right in Maryland to pass and enforce our own gun permitting laws, and the result is terror," he said. "I will stand with our law enforcement community and push back against this idea of promoting guns in public places. It's dangerous and it's stupid."
