A youth was hit in the head with the butt of a rifle or shotgun during a brawl that broke out Tuesday at the Willowbrook Shopping Centre in Langley, RCMP say.
The fight broke out between two groups at around 4:30 p.m., said Sgt. Rebecca Parslow, a spokesperson for the RCMP detachment.
During the fight, one youth pulled what looked like a long gun from inside a coat and struck another youth in the back of the head.
A copy of surveillance video – apparently a cellphone video of a screen showing mall surveillance – is circulating on Facebook. It does not show the attack, but it does show a young man pulling what looks like a rifle out from under a winter coat and running across the mall hallway. Other shoppers continue to walk past without noticing.
There was no gunfire during the fight, said Parslow. It is unknown if it was a real or a replica firearm.
The youth who was struck was not seriously hurt.
There have been no arrests yet, but police said they believe the fight was not related to the ongoing Lower Mainland gang wars, and that it was an isolated incident.
The investigation into the brawl is ongoing, said Parslow.
Police are asking witnesses to call the Langley RCMP at 604-532-3200, or to leave an anonymous tip with CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).