FORT WORTH, Texas — Fort Worth police on Sunday responded to Hulen Mall after reports of an active shooter and a bomb threat, according to officials.
Police said they received a call around 5 p.m. Sunday regarding a bomb threat at the mall located near the intersection of South Hulen Street and SW Loop 820.
Employees and customers at the mall were told to evacuate as police responded, which shoppers and employees said led to more panic.
Lisa Valdez was ending her shift working at Miss A when she saw people running.
“The people on the top level, they were just scattering real fast," she said. "You just heard like, 'Boom boom boom boom,' so I don’t know if it was actual gunshots or chairs falling from the people trying to scatter.”
In an update, police said they did not find any signs of a shooting or explosive device at the mall and that they believe the threat was a hoax. Police and fire crews did not find any victims.
"Any time someone calls in a bomb threat, it’s to alarm the public," Fort Worth police officer Tracy Carter said.
“We haven’t found or substantiated anything at this point," Fort Worth Fire Captain Thad Raven said. "Nothing at all. No victims, no bombs.”
Valdez locked her doors and took customers to the back.
“I had a lady hyperventilating, a little boy hyperventilating too," Valdez said. “I’m shaking. Still.”
Police acknowledged that there were reports of gunshots fired at the mall, but officials said the "shots" people may have heard were likely chairs falling or doors being slammed during the panic of people rushing for the exits.
Nearing three months since a shooter killed eight people at an Allen outlet mall, the fear is still fresh.
“Obviously, when you have an incident like we did in Allen, it brings more of an awareness to what can actually happen every day," Raven said. "But this is something that we train year round every day.”
Through the evening, police searched the mall with K9 dogs. Further details were not released as the investigation continues.
Police are looking into the source of the threat toward the mall.
"This is something that we don’t need in our city or anywhere," Carter said.