Barber Shop Harbors Moms, Kids While Temecula Mall Sheltered In Place

TEMECULA, CA — Riverside County's Southwest Sheriff's Station responded in force on Monday to search for a male suspect believed to be armed with a rifle at Promenade Temecula Mall, according to initial reports. Later, deputies discovered the person they were looking for was merely returning two airsoft rifles to a gaming store.

Dispatch operators received a 911 call at 10:45 a.m. saying that someone had entered the mall, located at the 40000 block of Winchester Road, carrying what looked like a rifle. Officers investigated the mall "in its entirety" and found a person matching the description, carrying two airsoft rifles, according to Sgt. Brent Irvine.

"The investigation revealed that he was returning the rifles to an airsoft gaming business located within the mall, and there was no evidence of a crime," Irvine said. "There was no active shooter, and no injuries were reported."

The sheriff's department conducted a full safety sweep of the mall for precautionary measures, they said. All was declared well by 12:15 p.m., according to Sgt. Dierdre Vickers.

Mothers And Kids Sought Shelter Inside Barber Palace

While deputies swept the mall, workers and reported being "locked down in their shops," and movie-goers and shoppers shared stories of the evacuations over social media.

Mother Melissa Hoenig of Menifee told Patch she was at the mall when she was suddenly ordered to shelter in place Monday, she told Patch.

She and a friend were walking the mall with their kids to get them out of the house during the hot weather. Then, she heard a commotion, and multiple armed sheriff's deputies approached her.

"The cops yelled at us to get in a store and lock down the doors," she said. Hoenig corralled her group into the Barber Palace in an upstairs wing of the mall. They remained there until the all-clear was sounded.

Kevin Williams, a barber at the Barber Palace, was at work when the women and children fled into the shop.

"We didn't know what was going on when the women and kids ran inside and told us," he said. "We shut the gates immediately and took care of them for about 45 minutes until it was over."

Hoenig's son has special needs, she explained, and he became frustrated with being unable to leave. Williams gave him a toy race car to calm him down until the all-clear was sounded.

Williams is new to the community, he said, but he knew how scary it must have been for the young mother.

"You never know what the next day will bring," he said. "We saw the mothers in distress and closed the gates immediately. The sheriffs came by and told us what was going on."

In all, the lockdown at the Promenade Temecula lasted about 45 minutes.

"The gentlemen were so helpful to us," she said. "We are home now and are all ok. It was scary. We greatly appreciate all of them for keeping us safe."

During the incident, Williams thought of his own family and knew he would appreciate it if someone else would help them in a time of trouble.

"We all did, all of us inside the shop," he said. "I just did what I would want someone to do for my family."