Houston, July 29 (IANS) Panic erupted at a shopping mall in the US state of Texas on Saturday when an attempted robbery was mistaken for an active shooting prompting a heavy police response.
The attempted robbery happened at a jewelry store in the shopping mall in McAllen, a border town with Mexico and about 520 km southwest of Houston, Xinhua reported.
Police said that the initial report of shots fired was actually the result of glass cases that were smashed at the store.
McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez said that all known suspects were in custody and that no injuries were resulted from the robbery attempt.
Earlier, Hidalgo County Constable Precinct 4 issued a report on Facebook which read: “Active Shooter at the McAllen Plaza Mall Stay Away from the area! Several law enforcement agencies heading to the scene.”
A month ago, the small city of McAllen, with a population of around 142,000, caught the eyes of the world for a sprawling red-roofed detention center, in which hundreds of suspected migrants were locked up and children removed from their parents’ care while the families are inside the facility.
The US Border Patrol’s McAllen Station is the busiest for apprehending and detaining immigrants suspected of entering the country illegally, and protests have erupted around the area.
–IANS<br>qd
Source: IANS
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