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Police arrest driver after car seen driving through a mall outside Chicago

Click to play video: 'Police investigating after SUV drives through Chicago area mall'
Police investigating after SUV drives through Chicago area mall
WATCH ABOVE: Police investigating after SUV drives through Chicago area mall – Sep 20, 2019

Police say a man was arrested after driving a car through a mall in a suburban Chicago neighbourhood on Friday.

The incident, which was documented in a video posted to social media, shows a black Chevy Trailblazer driving through Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Ill.

In the video, the SUV appears to run over kiosks and hit a storefront while several shoppers and mall employees run for safety.

Police say no one was injured and they are in the process of evacuating the mall.

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In the video, which was first shared on Twitter, a person can be heard saying, “This is not happening right now,” as a black SUV smashes through a shop in the middle of the mall.

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Jonathan Galingan, the manager of a cosmetic store in the mall, told the Chicago Tribune that people were yelling “active shooter” while the car was driving around.

Schaumburg Police would later debunk the active shooter claim with a post on the village’s Twitter account stating: “At this time, there is no evidence of an active shooter situation.”

Even though he did not see the SUV himself, Galingan said that he did see the panic erupt after people started shouting “active shooter.”

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We all panicked and were in shock, so we started escorting people toward our back door,” he told the Tribune.

Lateef Farooqui told CBS 2 that he witnessed the driver run over a kiosk and strike a Forever 21 store before jumping out and getting arrested.

Authorities have not released the identity of the driver or possible motive.

 

In a statement posted to social media, the FBI say they are assisting local police and that there is no threat to public safety.

With files from The Associated Press

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