NOVI, Mich. – Local 4 News got a look inside Twelve Oaks Mall, where a smash-and-grab robbery caused shoppers to panic.
The robbery had many shoppers believing shots had been fired.
The mall reopened Sunday after shutting down early Saturday. The mall was evacuated and some shoppers locked in stores for hours as police looked for the men who caused the chaos.
Cellphone video shows the moment one of the robbers got away from security at Tappers Jewelry.
"We walked down the escalator and we're not sure who it was, but a guy was sprinting down the stairs, and it was really scary," one witness said.
One angle shows a family getting out of the guy's way, unsure what's going on.
Another angle shows people ordered to the ground by officers.
The new video shows just how terrifying it became inside Twelve Oaks Mall.
"Oh my goodness, it was crazy," a witness said. "That's all I can say: it was crazy, really intense."
Outside officers surrounded the entrances while inside shoppers hunkered down locked in stores.
"Everyone was in locked down and we stayed in there for a couple of hours," another witness said. "Oh my goodness, we don't know what's going on. Later when things hit Facebook and the news we figured out what happened."
Images showed display cases smashed and jewelry stolen. Police said three or four men ripped off designer watches in the smash-and-grab.
"People are getting out of control with different kinds of things," a witness said. "What can you do?"