HOBART | Westfield Southlake mall was evacuated Saturday night because of a shooting, witnesses said.
The Lake County police mobile crime lab, Hobart police and other departments were on the scene.
There were no available reports on whether anyone was hurt as of 7 p.m.
Brandon Wright, of Crown Point, and his cousin Tabitha Dolton, of Merrillville, told The Times they had been near the carousel on the first floor about 6:30 p.m. when a group of teenagers walked by talking about fighting.
The kids were 13 or 14 years old, Wright said.
"It was just a bunch of kids running, saying they were going to fight," Wright said.
The cousins continued walking away from the kids, Dolton said, and "all of a sudden we heard gunshots."
Two shots were fired and another rang out as Wright and Dolton ran from the area, he said.
"We just ran for our lives after that," Wright said.
Dolton and Wright were evacuated from the mall, they said.
Other witnesses claimed hearing only one shot.
Roads around the mall were congested because of the evacuation. Drivers may want to avoid the area.