VIC: Armed man forces Melbourne mall evacuation

Hundreds of shoppers have been forced to flee a luxury mall in Melbourne’s CBD, after reports of a man being armed with a knife.

Witnesses reported a man was spotted acting erratically at Emporium Melbourne, on the corner of Lonsdale and Swanston Streets, about 11.30am on Thursday.

It’s believed he may have been armed with a blade.

Victoria Police said officers attended and apprehended a man, who has since been taken to hospital for assessment.

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One shopper said she was walking through the mall when she heard a lot of yelling.

“Next thing they call a lockdown and we have to run into a store,” she wrote on Twitter.

Emporium and the surrounding area was briefly placed on lockdown as police responded, with some shoppers forced to take cover inside stores.