A juvenile suspect is in custody after gunfire emptied the Ontario Mills Mall food court in seconds on Friday evening.
Ontario Police Department officers swarmed the San Bernardino County shopping destination around 7:07 p.m. Following reports of shots fired near Dave & Buster’s and Burlington, the department said in a statement on X. The call drew a heavy response to one of Southern California’s top retail centers, a complex that draws millions of visitors annually.
“Brother the mall cleared out in two seconds, they said gun?” one person could be heard saying in video recorded inside the food court. The footage, shared by a mall shopkeeper, captured teens, parents and other adults sprinting through the dining area as panic spread, though the actual gunfire was not audible in the clip.
“They left their pizza, y’all left your pizza,” the same person added, panning to two half-eaten pepperoni slices abandoned on a table where diners had bolted mid-meal.
A local business owner who posted videos from the scene described the situation as “so scary,” and said her heart was “low key pounding.”
“Ontario PD is actively investigating a shooting at the Ontario Mills Mall. No reported injuries. The scene is contained and a suspect is in custody. There is no threat to the community. Updates to follow,” the department wrote on X at 8:03 p.m.
The suspect was a juvenile, according to reporting from the scene. Police later confirmed the individual was being held without outstanding suspects remaining at large.
“The scene at Ontario Mills is inactive. Suspect is in custody and no one is outstanding. Ontario Mills will resume business as normal,” police wrote in a follow-up post.
Thankfully, no one was hurt, authorities confirmed. The cause of the shooting remains under investigation, and it is unclear whether a weapon has been recovered.
Ontario Mills Mall sits in Ontario, roughly 40 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. The outlet mall, with its mix of retail stores, restaurants and entertainment venues including the Dave & Buster’s where the incident originated, serves as a major commercial hub for the Inland Empire region.
The rapid evacuation captured on video underscored how quickly fear spread through the crowded Friday evening space. One moment diners were eating pizza; moments later, they were running for exits, leaving meals behind in their rush to escape.
The mall resumed normal operations following the all-clear from police.