Fashion Fair Mall violence not danger to public, Fresno police say

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A couple of recent incidents at Fashion Fair Mall have created some fear, but Fresno police say there's no real danger to the public.

Action News has learned of two cases of violence inside the mall over the course of about three weeks. One was a robbery at a jewelry kiosk we reported last week; the other was a gun pulled inside Forever 21. But police say they're both isolated incidents.

When the couple arrived at the Zee Jewelers kiosk a couple weeks ago, the employee was not on high alert. But when they asked to see a tray of jewelry, things went south quickly.

"The female suspect pulled out some pepper spray, sprayed the attendant in the face and the male suspect took the jewelry," said Lt. Joe Gomez of the Fresno Police Department.

Police are hoping surveillance photos help lead to the suspects' arrests.

Three weeks earlier, inside Forever 21, another couple and more trouble, but in that case, they were the targets. They tell investigators they ran into a gang member with a beef.

"He approaches him, he pulls out a gun," Gomez said of the suspect. "There are some words between them. He allegedly points the gun at the victim's girlfriend to get him to engage. They get away from him and they go to security. They did the right thing."

The couple said they were scared for their lives as they ran away, with the suspect following and saying he was going to shoot.

But neither of these incidents are a major cause for concern -- even when lumped together in the same month, according to Gomez. He says the attacks were both unusual crimes that'd be hard to prevent at any business, and the mall has good communication with police.

"What I know about Fashion Fair is that they have excellent security," Gomez said. "The security officers are constantly patrolling the parking lot. There's video everywhere."

We reached out to Fashion Fair public relations, but they haven't issued any comments.

A suspect in the gun case was arrested. Police haven't identified the jewelry robbery suspects.