Hoax 911 call triggers police response, lockdown at mall in Arcadia

A busy Arcadia shopping center was placed on temporary lockdown Wednesday after a prank 911 call triggered a large police response, officials said.

Arcadia police said officers responded to the Santa Anita Stores just before 5 p.m. after a caller reported they were armed with a gun and had made active threats against a customer.

“Officers arrived on scene and, out of an abundance of caution, temporarily placed the mall on lockdown while conducting a systematic search of the property. Police personnel cleared the scene during the investigation,” Arcadia police said in a statement.

Footage shows police officers, guns drawn, ordering several people inside a shoe store to get on the ground as other shoppers look on.

Police said no suspects have been located and no injuries have been reported.

“Preliminary investigation indicates that the reported threat was most likely a hoax,” police said.

The lockdown was then lifted and the shopping center resumed normal operations.