Terrified shoppers "ran and screamed" after reports a man had fired a gun in the Halifax bank
Emergency services arrived in force at the Strand shopping centre in Bootle at around 12.25pm today (Monday). Police cordoned off the scene inside the centre while shaken staff were led away.
One shop worker described seeing a woman with a small child running out of the centre, screaming for help. Another said he "heard a bang" followed by people running about.
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Lorraine Walsh, who runs a vaping stall close to the bank premises inside the centre, said: "It was just chaos, terrifying. There were people screaming and running around. At first I thought it was a terrorist attack.
"I'm in shock and we were all really frightened. I didn't know what the hell was going on."
A number of customers took refuge in a shop which brought its shutters down when the mayhem started.
Pauline Redmond, assistant manager at the Shush ladies' fashion shop inside the centre, said: "I heard almighty screaming, with young kids crying and people running everywhere.
"You could tell they were terrified by the looks on their faces. I didn't know if someone was running around with a gun. I ran into the shop and brought the shutters down. There were a few elderly customers who were also inside."
The section of corridor where the incident took place remained cordoned off by police this afternoon, but the rest of the shopping centre remained open.
An investigation has been launched by detectives and extensive forensic enquiries are ongoing to establish whether a gun was fired.
The suspect is described as a white man, of slim build, around 5ft, 11in tall. At the time of the incident he has his face covered, was wearing dark clothing and a Puma hoodie. CCTV and witness enquiries are ongoing to locate him. No cash is believed to have been stolen from the bank during the incident.
Shopping centre bosses said the Halifax bank would remain closed until further notice, along with two other stores - The Perfume Shop, and Game.
Chief Insp Gary O’Rourke added: "If you were driving in the Bootle Strand area and have dashcam footage then please review it and let us know if you see anything, particularly the man on a bike described. Our officers will remain at the scene outside Bootle Shopping Centre while extensive enquiries are carried out and to provide reassurance to the local community, so please come and speak to them and let us know if you have any information which could help our investigation.
"There is no room for weapons and those who use them on our streets so please, tell us what you know and help us put the person responsible before the courts."
Anyone who witnessed the incident or who has any information is asked to contact @MerPolCC on Twitter or ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ on Facebook or call 101 with reference 22000373098. You can also call Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111, or their online form online.
Anyone with any video footage of the incident, can upload this to be viewed by police via the following link to the NICE website: digital-policing.co.uk
