Suspect sought after report of man with gun, suspicious package causes Century City mall scare

LOS ANGELES (FOX 11) - Police were seeking an arson and assault suspect in connection to a scare at the Westfield Century City mall Friday in which authorities responded to a report of a man with a gun and a suspicious package inside, leading to an hours-long investigation.

Los Angeles police confirmed there was no evidence of a shooting, and a bomb squad determined the suspicious package was not an explosive.

Authorities initially responded just after 12:30 p.m. Friday on a report of a man with a gun inside the mall, and the facility was placed on lockdown as well as some nearby buildings.

When officers arrived, they saw people running out of the mall. Police entered the mall attempting to locate the reported suspect, and later confirmed there was no evidence of a shooting or any victims.

While conducting their search, officers were directed to a suspicious package inside the Amazon store. Out of an abundance of caution, the Los Angeles Police Department's Bomb Squad and Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the scene and determined the package was not explosive.

On Friday night, the LAPD tweeted a photo of an arson and assault with a deadly weapon suspect.

He was described as Hispanic or Asian, approximately 20 to 25-years-old, 5 feet, 8 inches tall and around 130 to 150 pounds.

Police said the suspect is to be considered armed and dangerous.

Anyone with information was asked to call the LAPD's Major Crimes Division at 213-486-7260.

The Westfield Century City mall opened at 10 a.m. Saturday as usual.