All-clear given after Aventura Mall evacuated, to reopen today

The pre-Christmas rush of shoppers was evacuated from the Aventura Mall early Saturday evening as police investigated an incident there, but police said no shooting occurred there, contrary to rumors on social media.

At 7:58 p.m., the mall’s Twitter account reported that the mall was being evacuated. At 8:21 p.m., Aventura police reported there was no shooting at the mall.

The panic caught Miramar Mayor Wayne Messam in the back room of a women’s clothing store after what he called pandemonium broke out in the mall he said was “packed” with holiday shoppers. He said that was the last stop to complete his Christmas shopping.

“We didn’t hear any shots, but we heard screaming and folks running through the halls,” he said.

Having just been through an active shooter training, Messam said he knew it was better to back away from the panic. After the halls cleared, he saw police walking through the mall, rifles drawn. Workers turned off the store lights and he retreated with the store employees to the backroom to wait for the all-clear. He said every possibility — from a fight to a terrorist attack — ran through his head.

“Thank goodness this was a false alarm and everyone was safe,” he said. “The alternative could have been a lot worse.”

No one from the Aventura Police Department was available to speak with a reporter, but a tweet on the agency’s account urged the public to stay away from the Aventura Mall. A number of Twitter users reported hearing shots, but Aventura police did not say what prompted the evacuation Saturday evening.

About 30 minutes after the evacuation, police gave the all-clear. Aventura police said on Twitter that “a shooting DID NOT take place at Aventura Mall. The scene is secure but traffic in the area is heavy.”

Police said the mall would remain closed Saturday night, but would reopen today as scheduled.

Miami-Dade Transit announced just after 8 p.m. that the mall’s bus terminal was closed. About 20 minutes later, though, an announcement was made it was open again.

This comes on the heels of similar shooting scares at the Westland Mall in Hialeah last month and the Dolphin Mall in Miami in August.