MALL CHAOS
Shopping centre shooting fears at Westfield Paris as terrified shoppers rush for exits after ‘gunshots heard’
PANICKED shoppers have fled a major shopping centre in Paris after a man killed himself inside the building.
Cops initially raced to Westfield Les 4 Temps in the French capital after reports customers heard gunshots on Saturday afternoon.
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Footage showed terrified shoppers fleeing for the exits, and swarms of people running down the streets outside the mall.
Video also showed workers desperately shuttering shops as people said they were hiding in stores.
Police confirmed officers were "on site and securing the scene".
"Avoid the area," they added.
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However, a spokesperson for the Paris police department dismissed reports that gunshots had been fired.
Cops further confirmed the noise was related to a man who killed himself on the premises.
They said "an incident"; triggered a frantic rush of people.
A police source told a man had plunged five storeys - sparking mass panic inside the shopping centre.
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Eyewitnesses said they saw at least one person on the ground.
Trams and buses are said to be no longer stopping at the mall.
Government minister Gérald Darmanin confirmed: "A police operation is taking place in La Défense. I asked the prefect of police to go there."
In 2019, the Westfield Les 4 Temps was the most visited mall in France with 42 million visitors.