Harrowing footage captured the moment an armed teenager jumped up and opened fire on a crowded Maryland mall on Friday, injuring a 13-year-old boy and sending shoppers scrambling.
An unidentified 17-year-old boy pulled out a handgun and fired four shots, hitting a 13-year-old in the leg around 6 p.m. at Westfield Wheaton mall, according to Fox 5 Washington DC.
Video posted to TikTok showed a group of teens walking by the suspect, who was sitting down in the concourse.
The teens turn back and appear to engage in brief conversation with the 17-year-old.
As they stroll away, the 17-year-old whips out a handgun, jumps forward, and fires four shots at the group, who were standing less than 15 yards away, video showed.
The suspect, the group, and all others in the vicinity screamed and sprinted away as the shots reverberated off the mall’s marble floors and glass doors.
As he tried to flee, the 17-year-old alleged shooter was stopped by an armed security guard at Dick’s Sporting Goods, according to Fox DC. A firearm was recovered at the scene.
The suspect was arrested and is in custody, officials said.
No charges have been announced.
“I was in work and next thing you know I just heard two gunshots. Pow, pow,” one mall worker told Fox DC.
“So I didn’t really think anything of it and then maybe like five, six minutes later, me and my co-workers seen all these police pulling up coming through, so we kind of trying to figure out like what is, you know, going on… Next thing you know I seen some little Spanish boy got he got shot and he was getting pulled out on a stretcher,” said the worker.
The unidentified 13-year-old victim was taken to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to the report.
