Tigard Police clear Washington Square mall of shooting threat after glass breakage

“Washington Square mall is SAFE,” read the post on the Tigard Police Department’s social media on Sunday, Aug. 11, after rumors of a shooting at the shopping center led some customers and staff to take cover.

Authorities say rumors of a shooting at the mall began Sunday afternoon when a disgruntled employee shattered a glass case inside a store, leading nearby shoppers to speculate about the sound. Concerned shoppers called 9-1-1 about the sound, misattributing it to the sound of gunfire.

Some shoppers were told to shelter in place, while others fled the store, unsure whether the mall was being attacked. Tigard police spokesperson Kelsey Anderson told our media partner KOIN 6 News that some staff and shoppers hid inside nearby stores or in back storage areas.

“We were in Nordstroms and they told us to ‘run’,” one shopper wrote on the social media site Reddit after the incident. “It was extremely scary. We heard smashing glass but didn’t turn around, just ran as fast as possible to the exit.”

Police and mall security worked to alert everyone that the mall was not under attack, Anderson said.

“We understand why there was that sense of panic there as they worked to figure out what they heard,” she said. “But … fortunately, it was just shattered glass and nothing else.”