Police respond to Westfield Century City Thursday afternoon
By Sam Catanzaro
Police responded to the Westfield Century City mall Thursday afternoon after reports of a potential smash and grab robbery at a business within the mall. On a day when Southern California was rattled by a mass shooting at a Santa Clarita high school, the police presence spurred panic and false rumors surrounding a mall shooting.
“There is no evidence of a shooting,” said Los Angeles Police Department Officer Jeff Lee. “We are most likely dealing with a smash and grab burglary.”
According to Lee, police on the scene searched all over the mall looking for suspects and found no evidence of a shooting nor any injuries.
Many patrons were shocked when seeing armed police officers in the mall, and erroneous reports of an active shooter soon spread on social media.
