Tukwila police respond to fight, reported gunfire at Southcenter Mall

One person was detained at Westfield Southcenter in Tukwila Sunday night after several police agencies responded to a large fight.

Police officers arrived at the mall after hearing about a large fight involving a group of teenagers. The situation escalated when multiple reports came about gunshots being fired around 6 p.m., causing the mall to go into lockdown.

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In a Facebook post, the Tukwila Police Department said the sounds witnesses heard were likely “metal crowd divider posts falling over” during a fight, but they did detain a minor with a gun. The department added that no bullets were actually fired.

The sounds reportedly triggered crowds of panicked shoppers to flood out of the mall. Multiple agencies responded to help escort everyone to safety.

No injuries were reported, and it’s unclear what started the fight.

Due to the large number of people in the area, officers from multiple jurisdictions were requested to help with de-escalating the situation and getting people to get back to their cars.

A witness interviewed by KIRO 7 said he didn’t realize how large the fight was until police showed up to evacuate the mall.

“I just see stuff like this a lot. I kind of just walked right past it and was like, ‘whatever.’ But I didn’t realize it was that big,” the witness, named Mateo, said.