42-year-old Marcos Gurrola is a registered security guard

Dec 17, 2012 10:44 GMT  ·  By
A man shot 50 rounds in the parking lot at Fashion Island mall in Newport Beach
   A man shot 50 rounds in the parking lot at Fashion Island mall in Newport Beach

A man firing 50 shots in a mall parking lot in Southern California is currently in police custody, reports say. He was identified as 42-year-old Marcos Gurrola of Garden Grove, California.

The man scared shoppers by opening fire at the Fashion Island Mall in Newport Beach, Fox News reports.

At 4:30 p.m. the same day, he was approached by mall police, on bicycles. According to Lt. John Lewis, he proved cooperative and was not resistant to the arrest. He is being held on $250,000 (€190,000) bail.

"He just gave up," Lt. Lewis describes.

The suspect is a licensed security guard, registered with Orange County. Although he has no criminal record, his firearm permit expired in 2001. He was charged with shooting at an inhabited dwelling.

No people were severely hurt during the incident, as Gurrola mainly shot in the air or at the ground. One person at the scene was wounded due to a fall, while running away from the gunman.

"It's a miracle nobody got injured. [...] The bullets had to land somewhere, and he shot so many," Sven Maric, sitting in a restaurant 50 yards (40 meters) away, says.

Gurrola unloaded his gun, then took the time to reloaded it more than once. The weapon and ammunition were found in his possession, as law enforcement arrived at the scene.

Customers at the mall panicked, prompting a lockdown of the facility, Christian Post reports. The incident occurred near Macy's Department Store, and shops were closed down immediately after the shooting started.

Many store owners closed their shops before authorities ordered a lockdown, in an effort to protect shoppers still inside.

The incident comes after a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on Friday. 20 children and 6 members of the staff died as 20-year-old Adam Lanza, taught by his mother how to use a gun, drove to the school with several loaded weapons.