Police: Suspect at large after firing a shot into the ground at Green Acres Mall
Police say the mall has since reopened and that no one was hurt in the shooting.
More Stories
Police are searching for the suspect who fired a shot into the ground at Green Acres Mall.
According to police they received a call around 11:15 a.m.
Police say the mall has since reopened and that no one was hurt in the shooting.
VIDEO: SCENE AT GREEN ACRES MALL
They say the man was trying to rob the store "Clique" on the second floor and fired one shot when he was confronted. A shell casing was found on the second floor of the mall, but police say no weapon was found at the scene.
Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder says the man was caught on store cameras and mall cameras.
“That individual stealing clothes, shoplifting, he was confronted by the store personnel,” Ryder says. “He pulled out a gun, it was a struggle with the gun, a round went off and fired into the ground.”
Ryder says security and the Nassau County Police Department immediately locked down the mall.
"They started a perimeter. They started a search. They made sure everybody in the mall was safe,” he said. “If anyone was in the common area of the mall, they helped them evacuate outside of the mall."
Police say the suspect fled in a red car while the mall went on lockdown. Investigators say he was also spotted on cameras in the parking garage.
Ryder says by the time police saw the man on camera, he was no longer wearing pants, only boxer shorts and a red shirt.
Schools in the area went under lockout as part of protocol. RAVE notification went to schools to inform them.
A lockout in the Lynbrook School District and Valley Stream District 30. Both lockouts have since been lifted.
"At around 11:15 a.m. the Nassau County Homeland Security notified South High School of police activity at Green Acres Mall, and the school was placed on lockout,” Valley Stream Central High School District Superintendent Dr. Wayne Loper said in a statement. "At around 12:30 p.m. law enforcement officials informed South that it was safe for the lockout to be lifted. We always make the safety and security of our students and staff an absolute priority, and at no point were students or staff at the building in any danger."
