False Reports of Gunman Scare OC Mall Shoppers

Police closed Nordstrom for about 10 minutes after a fight between customers

A fight between two customers at a Southern California mall Friday night escalated with a huge police response after a woman said the man with whom was arguing about a purchase had a gun, police said.

Police received a call of a man with a gun inside of South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa between 7 and 7:30 p.m., Costa Mesa Lt. Bryan Glass said.

Police dispatched a "large" contingent of patrol officers to the Salvatore Ferragamo shoe store on the second floor, adjacent to Nordstrom, he said.

Officers detained and released the man after finding no gun during a search, Glass said.

A Nordstrom employee said they were closed for 10 minutes while police investigated and reopened by 7:40 p.m.

Patrons were tweeting about the police presence and lockdown at Nordstrom. Two customers contacted NBC4 and sent images of the man police detained.

The South Coast Plaza is the largest mall on the West Coast.

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