CHANDLER, Ariz. — A teenager was arrested after police say he fired an assault rifle into the air and toward another person outside Chandler Fashion Center and caused a major scare Monday night.
First responders rushed to the area just before 7 p.m. after gunfire erupted outside the mall.
No one was hurt, but the mall was evacuated and some businesses were locked down during the confusion.
Investigators initially said two groups of people got into an argument in the parking lot near the Harkins movie theater and an auto supply store when one person pulled out a gun and fired multiple times.
That person was captured on surveillance video and he was identified as 19-year-old Nathaniel Vensor.
He was arrested the following morning after police say he returned to the mall to shop while wearing the same baseball hat.
The victim told police Vensor fired shots at them and in the air after they refused to hand over jewelry. Vensor then fled the scene with his girlfriend in her vehicle and the victim ran into the mall for safety.
Police located 30 rifle casings in the parking lot where the shooting occurred.
Vensor faces multiple felony charges and also had drugs when he was arrested, according to police.
It's unclear if police are still looking for additional suspects.
The Chandler Police Department says it was not an active shooter situation, but the investigation is still ongoing.
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