BRANDON, Fla. — Around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, a 42-year-old man, Dustin Wendell, jumped off the second floor of a two-story carousel inside the Westfield Brandon Mall and started yelling in pain, causing other people inside the mall to believe a shooting occurred, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.
Deputies say they were receiving multiple 911 calls about possible gunshots at the mall, and numerous emergency units responded to the scene.
People reportedly ran from the food court area and law enforcement says stores quickly began to close their storefront security gates.
HCSO believes that the sound of the gates closing could have been mistaken for people thinking they were hearing the sound of gunfire.
Smith was mentally evaluated when he came in contact with deputies and will likely face drug charges after cocaine was found in his possession.
There were no reported injuries during the incident and the mall never closed.