WELLINGTON, Fla. (WSVN) — There was mall mayhem in Palm Beach County this weekend when a loud noise sent people running for their lives, a fireworks scare that led the arrest of a 15-year-old boy.
Video captured dozens of Palm Beach County Fire Rescue trucks outside the Mall at Wellington Green, Saturday afternoon.
According to fire officials, they were responding to what they say was a reported mass casualty incident.
One of the people who called 911 was Mary Drummond. She said she was in the kids play area with her 4-year-old when she realized something was wrong.
“Then all of a sudden, on my left-hand side, I saw everybody just running and screaming, so I didn’t hesitate,” she said.
Drummond said she and everyone else ran to the exit as fast as they could.
Firefighters said at least one person fell in the panic and was taken to a hospital.
“Think like something could happen to you or your child, is just like really scary,” said Drummond.
Mall security confirms the chaos started just after 5 p.m. when someone set off fireworks inside the mall, prompting an evacuation and an investigation by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad and the Palm Beach Fire Rescue Arson Unit.
Two teenagers said they were in the Foot Locker when they saw people running from something. One of them painted a vivid image of what he was thinking in those terrifying moments.
“‘We’re gonna die,’ pretty much. Loving my family and hoping that I wasn’t gonna die, because I really do love my family,” said the teen.
Witnesses said they’re starting to feel more calm, but they’re upset this happened.
“Personally, I just they’re selfish. Like, why would you do that when other people are gonna be scared, thinking that their kids are gonna die, their loved ones are gonna die in that mall?” said the teen.
“They shouldn’t have been doing that ’cause look at what it’s caused, you know,” said Drummond.
The 15-year-old who was arrested faces a charge of felony criminal mischief.
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