Terrifying footage has emerged of the chilling moment three armed boys confronted another group of teens which plunged a Westfield shopping centre into lockdown and left shoppers running for their lives.
Westfield Marion in Adelaide was evacuated after an altercation broke out and the two groups of teenagers began chasing each other throughout the centre on Sunday.
Footage of the incident filmed by shoppers in the packed food court showed one group of boys draw out batons before chasing the other group away.
Dozens of horrified shoppers watched on while others appeared to be oblivious to the chaos that unfolded metres away.
Customers were immediately ordered to leave or bunkered down in locked stores as the centre began its evacuation procedures, bringing back flashbacks of the recent Westfield Bondi Junction stabbing rampage which claimed the six innocent lives.
A manhunt was immediately launched for the armed teens, who remained on the run early Monday morning, despite a public plea from police to hand themselves in.
Shoppers inside Westfield Marion filmed a brawl between two groups of teenagers that caused the shopping centre to enter a lockdown at 2:53pm on Sunday
Shoppers who were rushed into shuttered shops shared footage of the incident as it was occurring
Heavily armed police officers secured the Adelaide shopping centre by 5pm and all remaining patrons were able to leave
South Australian Police Assistant Commissioner Scott Duval Assistant Commissioner Duval told reporters that it did not appear that the teens were intending to cause harm to any bystanders.
‘The incident really involved three boys approaching another group of boys, we’re not clear on the intention of that at this stage but I stress that it does not appear to be a random attack and it does not appear that the three boys were intending on targeting anyone else in the centre,’ he said.
‘So I encourage these boys to hand themselves into police, perhaps they did not intend for this incident to occur but they need to understand the consequences of their actions.’
Paramedics at the scene treated a women in her 70s with a shoulder injury and a person in their 30s with a knee injury.
Both are believed to have been injured during the evacuation.
Assistant Commissioner Duval said three boys from the group that initiated the fight were armed with extendable batons and possibly a knife.
The two groups ran through the shopping centre before arriving at David Jones where bystanders said they saw a security guard in pursuit.
Heavily armed officers from the Special Tasks and Rescue Group arrived shortly after and began ushering shoppers towards exits and safe locations.
Terrified families were among those caught up in the chaos
Hundreds of people were locked inside the shopping centre while police cleared the area
One man who was shopping with his wife and eight-year-old son at the time said that the incident left his partner ‘nervous as all s**t’
Hundreds of people who were crammed into shuttered stores shared photos of the experience online.
Several shoppers said that the panic caused by the evacuation was more distressing than the boys fighting.
‘People were certainly panicked and running to all the exits,’ one eyewitness told the Advertiser.
Another man who was there with his his wife and eight-year-old son said that being locked in a sports store had made his wife ‘nervous as all s**t’.
Karmal Dhaliwal, who owns Curry Choice in the food court, told the publication that she saw the one boy chasing another with what appeared to be a long knife.
‘They were trying to attack him and he was running away,’ she said.
Shortly after the boys ran past her store Ms Dhaliwal said that she saw a ‘breathless’ security guard who was telling everyone to evacuate immediately.
‘We were really scared. It is not safe working in shopping centres anymore, these things could be prevented,’ she said.
Peter Scott, who was working in Shoe Express, said that he saw ‘at least 100 humans charging towards me’ as shoppers tried fleeing the area.
Three teenage boys were filmed inside the food court approaching another group before they withdrew batons and began chasing them
South Australian Police Assistant Commissioner Scott Duval said despite officer’s best efforts they were unable to locate the teens who had initiated the fight
A police spokesperson said the shopping centre had been secured by 5pm and that everyone still inside the centre were able to leave.
They added that the evacuation had been a success despite officers not being able to locate the boys.
‘As a result of the incident, centre management activated an audible alert and evacuation alarm, and the centre went into lockdown,’’ police said.
‘Numerous police resources including STAR Group officers attended the centre to commence a search for the groups involved in the initial disturbance.
‘A thorough search of the centre was conducted, including rooftops, however the groups involved were not located.’
Terry Field was was celebrating a family members birthday when they were ushered into a store and made to wait for 90 minutes before being able to leave during the lockdown.
‘Totally irresponsible youths at Westfield Marion today caused public chaos and fear … impacts of their actions on the public can’t be undone,’ Mr Field wrote online.
‘Thoughtless, selfish s**ts.’
Another person who was in Event Cinemas at the time slammed the cinema for sending an email asking how they enjoyed their time at the movies.
Mr Brown’s email asked if he would be able to provide some feedback on his viewing of Inside Out 2.
‘Super insensitive considering we are dealing with traumatised kids who had to evacuate this session in a frantic stampede,’ he wrote.
Police who arrived at the scene first swept through the centre leading shoppers to safety
One worker who handles a restaurant in the food court said that she does not feel safe working in shopping centres anymore
Two people were injured during the evacuation, a woman in her 70s and another person in their 30s (not pictured)