Authorities say nobody was hurt when a security guard opened fire after he was approached by a man with a knife at a busy Los Angeles-area shopping plaza, sending shoppers sprinting away in panic.
Police in Santa Monica say the knife-wielding man was arrested a short time after the gunfire erupted Friday morning at the popular Third Street Promenade.
Los Angeles resident Siamak Kordestani says he and others ducked into a store after three shots rang out. He says people ran in all directions away from the scene.
TV news footage showed a man in a dark shirt being led away in handcuffs.
Just blocks from the famous Santa Monica Pier, the promenade is a popular outdoor destination for tourists and locals.