Mall Threat Follow Up | Video

Amy Fox | 12/4/2012

Dakota Square Mall is back in business and shoppers are crowding the stores. But last night was a different story. Hundreds of shoppers were evacuated from the mall Monday night following a bomb threat. Meanwhile, guests staying at the Sleep Inn, across the street from the mall, were also in lock-down mode.

“The theater at the mall received a threat by telephone concerning a bomb threat that was supposedly in the theater," said Minot Police Chief Jason Olson.

That`s when mall employees, like Priscilla Bariente, were told to drop everything and evacuate the mall.

"I just saw a cop with a rifle come around the corner. You just heard, you know, cops and security guards yelling everyone needs to get out of the mall now, everybody needs to leave. So, I grabbed my son and stuff and took off,” explains Bariente.

Olson said, "Evacuation went very quickly once word got out that was the request, so it spread pretty quickly, and it didn`t take very long for the whole mall to be evacuated."

Once the SWAT team searched the theater and found no bomb, Bariente was given the okay to go back inside and close up for the night.

"Around 10:00 is when I got a text message from my boss saying I can go back in and close the kiosk."

While no explosives were found, Olson says his officers and special units responded exactly as trained.

"Our staff did an excellent job responding to it, and the public was cooperative and evacuated the mall and we didn’t have any injuries."

Today, it is business as usual for Bariente and the rest of the mall.

"I felt safe coming back into the mall, and I figured after so long and not finding anything allowing people to come back in, I felt safe coming back into the mall last night. I felt safe coming back in this morning. No problem opened my store and started my day."

Police continue to investigate the situation.

According to the Manager at Dakota Square Mall, there`s only been one other threat in the last 15 years.

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