Hoax 911 call sparks heavy police response and lockdown at Arcadia’s Shops at Santa Anita

ARCADIA, Calif. () — A busy mall in Arcadia was temporarily placed on lockdown Wednesday after a hoax 911 call prompted a large police response, officials said.

Arcadia police said officers responded to The Shops at Santa Anita just before 5 p.m. after a caller reported they were armed with a gun and making active threats to a patron.

“Officers arrived on scene and, out of an abundance of caution, initiated a temporary lockdown of the mall while conducting a systematic search of the property. Police personnel cleared the facility during the investigation,” the Arcadia Police Department said in a statement.

Footage shows police officers with their weapons drawn, ordering several people inside a shoe store to get on the ground as other shoppers looked on.

Police said no suspects were located and no injuries were reported.

“Preliminary investigation indicates the reported threat was most likely a hoax,” police said.

The lockdown was later lifted, and the mall resumed normal business operations.