SWAT team responding to Arkansas shopping mall, police ask public to avoid the area

CONWAY, Arkansas (AP) — A SWAT team from a police department in central Arkansas responded to a shopping mall incident on Saturday morning and people were asked to avoid the area.

Conway police said on Facebook that officers responded to the Lewis Crossing Shopping Center “for an incident that is active at this time.” The post did not elaborate.

News outlets reported that someone had crashed a vehicle into an unoccupied massage therapy business, and nearby businesses were cleared of customers and employees. Photos posted on social media showed numerous police cars responding to the shopping center’s parking lot.

Bystander video showed the SWAT team with guns drawn forcibly entering an adjacent restaurant. Shots were fired, although it wasn’t immediately clear where the shots came from. Arkansas State Police were investigating the incident as an “officer-involved shooting,” KATV-TV reported.

Further details weren’t immediately available from police.

Some responders to the police department’s Facebook post said they were locked down in nearby stores.

Conway is about 33 miles (53 kilometers) north of Little Rock.