Deputies with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department were dispatched to a mall in Temecula Monday on reports that a man with a rifle was seen walking into the property.
The incident at the Temecula Promenade Mall, located in the 40000 block of Winchester Road, occurred at around 10:47 a.m., according to a RCSD news release.
“Upon arrival, deputies immediately began a search of the property, spoke with witnesses, and obtained further information on the possible armed male and his whereabouts,” officials said.
Authorities eventually located a man matching the description provided by witnesses inside the mall, detained him and found two airsoft rifles in his possession.
“The investigation revealed that the male intended on returning the airsoft rifles to an airsoft gaming business located within the mall, and there was no evidence of a crime,” the release noted. “This incident did not involve an active shooter event and there were no injuries reported.”
Airsoft rifles, which tend resemble real firearms, are used to shoot non-lethal plastic pellets for target practice or military-style gaming. They can easily be mistaken for real guns. A 19-year-old resident of Los Angeles who was wielding an airsoft rifle was shot and killed by police in Sept. 2022.
Authorities are still encouraging anyone with information about the incident to contact Deputy Philipp of the Southwest Sheriff’s Station at 951-696-3000 or the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department at 951-776-1099.
