(Newser)
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Police in Newport Beach, Calif., arrested a man yesterday for allegedly firing off about 50 rounds outside a shopping mall and causing mass panic, the Orange County Register reports. Police say Marcos Gurrola, a 42-year-old licensed security guard, shot his handgun in the air outside Macy's at Fashion Island mall. Bike officers grabbed him as he was trying to get in a white Volvo, reports the Daily Pilot. A handgun and more than 50 rounds of ammunition were recovered at the scene.
A witness said she first thought Gurrola was kidding around: "I thought it was a toy," she said. "Oh my God. It was a real gun." Cries of "shooter" and "shots fired" sent people stampeding through the mall, seeking refuge in stores and a movie theater. Some businesses hid patrons in dressings rooms and a storage area, where witnesses said they were shaking and crying. "With what happened in Connecticut, we were freaking out," said one shopper. One person suffered a minor injury and was treated and released at the mall.
