On Sunday, Australian police began investigating an incident at a shopping mall in Adelaide that led to the evacuation of the center and resulted in several minor injuries. The disturbance occurred at the Westfield Marion Shopping Centre, where police received reports of two groups of young males engaged in a fight within the food court area, some of whom were believed to be armed, according to Reuters.
In response to the situation, the shopping center's management promptly activated an audible alert and evacuation alarm, leading to a lockdown of the premises. "Several shoppers who sought refuge in shops were safely escorted from the center," the South Australia police said in a statement. Despite the initial chaos, authorities assured the public that there was no ongoing threat to the community. However, they are conducting further investigations to identify the individuals involved in the altercation.
South Australia Police Assistant Commissioner Scott Duval informed reporters that footage from the scene indicated the incident was "not a random attack," according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. He confirmed that no one within the group of boys involved in the fight sustained injuries. However, a 77-year-old woman may have fallen during the evacuation, potentially suffering a fracture, and a 14-year-old girl might have been injured in the process as well.
The incident follows a tragic event less than three months prior, where a man attacked shoppers with a knife at another Westfield mall in Sydney, resulting in six fatalities. This previous attack has heightened sensitivity and response protocols for such incidents across Australia.