No evidence of shooting after lockdown causes panic at Milpitas' Great Mall

MILPITAS, Calif. - The Great Mall in Milpitas was locked down Friday evening due to a false-alarm incident at a store that prompted police to be called. 

Milpitas police said they completed a sweep of the mall while the shopping center was shut down with no one inside allowed to leave and no one from outside allowed in. Officers canvassed the area after reports that a knife was brandished at a Burlington Coat Factory store at around 5:30 p.m. This was followed by reports of a shooting.

Police said there was no indication a shooting had occurred inside the mall, but were conducted their search out of abundance of caution.  

A police department spokesperson confirmed that the Great Mall of the Bay Area -- more casually known as the Great Mall -- was locked down as of 6:30 p.m.

There were no victims located in connection to the initial call to police. 

San Jose police, California Highway Patrol, Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department, and Milpitas Fire Department all assisted with the sweep of the mall. Police thanked all the departments as well as mall security for their efforts. 

"As we locate shoppers & store employees who sheltered in place, officers will escort them out of the mall," Milpitas police wrote in a social media update shortly after 7 p.m.

Some who were escorted out, were allowed to retrieve the belongings they left inside with assistance from law enforcement officials. 

A Nike employee had earlier told KTVU the Great Mall was closed, but that they were okay during the incident. That was the only information the employee could provide.

The Valley Transportation Agency tweeted at 6:17 p.m. that trains are not stopping at the Great Mall Station until further notice.

Bay City News contributed to this story.