Initial fears of mall shooting in Puyallup reveal a scary ploy to create a diversion

It wasn’t a mall shooting in Puyallup, though that’s what neighbors thought they were hearing at first.

Instead, police responding to South Hill Mall shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday night discovered that a would-be thief apparently set off fireworks inside a store as a diversion to hide a robbery.

No one was hurt in the incident, but multiple officers and firefighter teams responded to the scene, sirens howling.

“Officers arrived to find a chaotic scene with individuals running from the location and the smoke-filled store.,” a statement posted on the department’s Facebook page said. “Upon entry into the store, officers quickly confirmed an individual had lit off fireworks in an apparent attempt to create a diversion and steal merchandise from the store.”

Police found “fireworks-related evidence” at the scene, but no shell casings or evidence to suggest a gun was used in the incident. The particular store was not identified, and it was not clear Saturday whether any merchandise was stolen.

Police did not have a suspect in custody, according to the Facebook statement, but they were conducting witness interviews and gathering information.

“No one appears to have been injured by this brazen act.,” the statement added. “There is no reason to believe that there is any concern of danger around the South Hill Mall.”

This story was originally published November 13, 2021 at 10:45 PM.