Two Holiday Shoppers Stabbed At Mall of America

By Chris MorrisFormer Contributing Writer
Chris MorrisFormer Contributing Writer

    Chris Morris is a former contributing writer at Fortune, covering everything from general business news to the video game and theme park industries.

    General Views From Inside a Mall of America
    Shoppers stand in front of a Macy's Inc. store at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, U.S., on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012. The New York-based Conference Board is scheduled to release consumer confidence data on Feb. 28. Photographer: Ariana Lindquist/Bloomberg via Getty Images
    Ariana Lindquist—Bloomberg/Getty Images

    Two people were stabbed at the nation’s largest mall Sunday evening in what police say was an “interrupted theft.”

    Police say the attacks took place in the dressing room of the Mall of America’s Macy’s store — not far from where shoppers waited in line to see Santa. Both victims were hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries. The assailant was arrested.

    Shoppers, say authorities, were never in any danger. The Macy’s location, however, did close early.

    The incident seems to have stemmed from an attempted theft in the dressing room. Police say one victim was stabbed after they confronted a man who was trying to steal their belongings. The second victim was stabbed when they tried to intervene. Other shoppers subdued the attacker and held him until police arrived.

    Witnesses described the scene as chaotic.

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    The Mall of America is one of the busiest shopping centers in the country. Each year, some 40 million people visit its stores, which is more than the combined populations of North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Canada