Westfield Century City Mall Evacuated, Bomb Squad Called In

LOS ANGELES, CA — The Westfield Century City Mall was evacuated Friday afternoon as Los Angeles Police responded to reports of an active shooter, and the bomb squad was called into investigate a suspicious package. Nearby Beverly Hills High School was placed on temporary lockdown as a precaution, and traffic in the area is being affected.

Police arrived to the scene shortly before 1 p.m. and they were greeted by fleeing shoppers but could find no trace of a gunman. However the chaos continued with reports of a suspicious package and smoke coming from a store.

By 3 p.m. police anyone who was sheltering in place at the Westfield Century City mall can begin to calmly exit the center. Officers found no evidence of a shooting or any victims, the Los Angeles Police Department reports.

Fire sprinklers had been activated inside the Amazon store, according to news reports.
Police were conducting an arson investigation to determine how the burning, smoking package ended up in the Amazon store.

The LAPD bomb squad was sent to the mall to investigate a suspicious package found near the Amazon store, that, according to one broadcast report, appeared to be emitting smoke. Meanwhile, police continued to conduct a sweep through the shopping center to search for a young man believed to be armed with a handgun, but no shots have been fired and no injuries have been reported.

A security guard informed officers he hadn't heard any gunshots or located any victims, according to LAPD spokesman Sgt. Barry Montgomery.

"While proceeding with their search, officers were directed to a suspicious package located inside the Amazon store," he said. "In an abundance of caution (an) LAPD bomb squad and (the) Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the scene."

At about 2 p.m., smoke was seen coming from the roof of the Amazon store. Fire sprinklers were activated inside the store, according to news reports. Four hours later, police reported that the item was not explosive and the evacuation was over. Police had initially said the mall was being reopened, but later reported that stores would remain closed until morning.

People in parts of the mall were evacuated, but those in other areas of the large facility had been advised to shelter in place while officers conducted a search, LAPD Officer Tony Im said.

Reports of man with a gun at the Century City Mall first came into police at 12:42 p.m. Los Angeles police officers are on the scene at 10250 Santa Monica Boulevard, but "we have not yet been able to verify a shooting has taken place," said LAPD Spokesman Officer Jeff Lee.

"However the officers are at scene investigating a suspicious package in the mall and need to ensure safety to all," The LAPD tweeted. "Please be careful and respectful to each other and let’s all Be Safe."

Cell phone footage from the scene showed crowds racing out the mall exits or waiting outside along the Avenue of Stars as police converged on the mall. According to a broadcast report, a person described as a male in his late teens who had a gun was seen on a security camera.

Paul Almond, a Century City attorney, told City News Service he was having lunch at Toscanova in the mall when the restaurant manager said police had ordered him to evacuate the restaurant. At that point the manager told diners and workers to leave immediately.

Almond said he walked out of the mall and was joined on the sidewalk by numerous other shoppers and diners who had also been ordered out. He then went to a building housing a bank on the east side of Avenue of the Stars, across the street from the mall, and found that building too had been locked down.

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City News Service contributed to this report.