At Least 1 Person Shot and Several Stabbed at Mall in Sydney

One person was shot and several people were stabbed Saturday afternoon at a crowded major mall in Sydney, prompting the police to declare a critical incident and evacuate the area.

New South Wales Police said authorities received reports of multiple people stabbed shortly before 4 p.m. Numerous photos and videos on social media showed swarms of people leaving the mall, Westfield Bondi Junction, or sheltering in parts of the mall, some inside stores behind closed shutters.

Police did not immediately give information on the state of the victims or say whether any suspects were in custody. Media reports cited panicked shoppers fleeing the mall after hearing of the attacks, some of whom said security alarms had begun blaring.

Aerial footage in news reports showed injured people being taken out of the building on gurneys.

This is a developing story.