Large police presence at Old Orchard mall in Skokie
Large police presence at Old Orchard mall in Skokie
02:06
A massive police presence was dispatched to Westfield Old Orchard mall in the north Chicago suburb of Skokie Tuesday afternoon.
Skokie police said a temporary lockdown was enacted when they were called to the scene between 2:30 p.m. and 2:45 p.m.
The lockdown was later lifted and customers were allowed to return to the mall after being told to avoid the area, but police did not specify exactly what happened. Business as usual had resumed by 4 p.m., with people visiting the stores at Old Orchard and restaurant such as Maggiano’s.
Police said reports of shots fired were not credible.
A business owner reported receiving an alert from the mall about a person with a gun on the property. Someone who answered the phone at a hair salon at the mall reported being told to shelter in place.
From CBS News Skywatch, a line of Skokie police squad cars was seen outside the Macy’s store in the mall as the events unfolded. At least eight squad cars were spotted at the scene.
Squad cars were also seen outside the Nordstrom store at the mall.
Video later showed two people being taken into custody and led away from the scene into separate police cars.
Police later responded to the Old Orchard Towers medical and office buildings nearby. A source inside the towers said security told those working inside to barricade themselves in place, as security could not get over to lock down the buildings.
Skokie police said as of 4 p.m., they were still investigating.
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