Shoppers ran for the exits and several stores were put on lockdown after some people heard what they thought were gunshots at Town East Mall in Mesquite Saturday, police say.
Mesquite police said the sound actually emanated from a loud altercation on the mall's upper level around 5:20 p.m. Saturday.
Officers who responded to the mall did not find any evidence of gunfire, such as gunshot victims or bullet holes in walls, and confirmed the altercation on surveillance video police said.
Police said there was an altercation between eight to 10 people, split between two groups. The two sides threw chairs and trashcans at each other on the upper level, which sounded like gunshots to people in the mall who only heard the echo, police said.
The people involved in the fight fled the mall, police said.
Sunday, Mesquite police responded to a video taken by someone inside the mall of officers commanding people to lay on the ground.
Police said officers were working under active shooter protocols as they tried to assess the area.
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"Despite the frustrations conveyed in the audio of the individual who captured the incident, the Mesquite Police Department's response was to ensure the safety of all citizens inside the mall," the Mesquite Police Department said in a statement. "We appreciate everyone who cooperated with the responding officers while we attempted to clarify a chaotic and potentially dangerous scene."
