Officials say no shooter, just attempted burglary at Texas mall

An attempted robbery at a jewellery store at a mall in south Texas briefly sparked fears of an active shooter on Friday, but police later confirmed it was just the sound of smashing glass, not gunfire. McAllen, Texas police confirmed they had taken five people into custody at the La Plaza Mall in McAllen in connection with the attempted robbery, but said nobody was injured.

The sound of the glass being smashed apparently prompted enough concern earlier that the Hidalgo County Constable’s office for Precinct 4 posted a message on its Facebook page urging people to avoid the shopping mall due to an “Active Shooter at the McAllen Plaza Mall.”

About an hour later, the City of McAllen confirmed via a post on the municipal government’s Twitter page that police were investigating an attempted robbery and that all suspects had been apprehended. There were “no injuries involved” the tweet said, citing information from the Hidalgo County Sheriff.

CBS News affiliate KGBT said officers from the McAllen Police Department and personnel from the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety responded to the emergency call.

Videos posted on social media by mall goers showed dozens of people milling around outside the mall as police arrived on the scene. 

Several people on twitter reported seeing five men in custody inside a jewellery store. 

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