Cancún Mall Robbery Sparks Panic Among Shoppers

Cancún, Mexico — Four men armed with hammers entered the Moments By Bizzarro jewelry store in the Las Américas shopping plaza on Tuesday night and attempted to smash display cases to steal jewelry and other valuables. The incident occurred in the presence of families and other shopkeepers, who promptly alerted authorities.

While people were carrying out their usual activities, they were surprised by the subjects who violently burst into the establishment. The cashiers quickly took shelter behind the counter as the men attempted to take jewelry.

Just meters away, men and women with children ran toward the exits. They did not know what was happening, but in the midst of the chaos, they claimed that shots were being fired and no one wanted to be the target of a stray bullet.

After the events at the busy commercial plaza became known, a code red was activated, prompting the mobilization of authorities from all three levels of government and emergency response teams to the scene.

Upon their arrival, the jewelry store employees remained inside, where they spoke with the officers. Because the alert alarm had been activated, the security shutter had automatically closed, and they had to wait for the person in charge to deactivate it.

Amid the chaos, there was confusion, as some witnesses claimed that the sound of the hammers hitting the display cases led most people to believe it was a shootout, with many shouting that a gunfight was underway.

It was ultimately confirmed that no shots were fired, and a hammer used in the incident was even found. This item was secured by personnel from the State Attorney General's Office as evidence.

For its part, the Secretariat of Citizen Security and Transit only confirmed that the sounds were not gunfire and reported no arrests.