Market Street's troubled Westfield Centre narrowly missed another blow to its reputation Sunday, when mall security guards reportedly thwarted a possible armed robbery by a gang of, I kid you not, men carrying "creepy clown" masks.
As you of course know as a citizen of the internet, the national creepy clown phenomena has hit the Bay Area big time, with one threatening to visit a Fairfield school, a Concord woman alleging an abduction attempt at their hands, and a robocall from the San Francisco United School District encouraging parents to discuss this trend with their kids.
And in the latest bit of SF clown news, three men carrying clown masks characterized by San Francisco Police Department spokesperson Officer Carlos Manfredi as "very scary" were spotted in a stairwell at Westfield Centre by guards on patrol.
KRON 4 reports that the creepiness went down at 3:15 Sunday, when the guards "saw three suspects, two clown masks that they were holding, and one of the three brandished a gun," Manfredi tells the Ex.
The men, who were huddled in one of the mall's emergency stairwells, fled through the mall's Powell and Market exit when they spotted the guards, Manfredi says.
KRON 4 reports that "According to police, they believed that the suspects were getting ready to commit a robbery inside the mall," which would have been the latest in a recent string of violent incidents at Westfield Centre. On August 10, the body of local chef Frank Galicia was found in a mall stairwell, a death police eventually classified as "suspicious." That incident has been followed by several brutal muggings, including a school supply shakedown and the theft of multiple laptops from mall patrons.
But in this case, at least, trouble was averted — and the SFPD is watching, with Manfredi telling the Ex that even though by the time police were called the suspects were “already gone...anytime there is a call with a person with a gun, you get every single unit available in that district.”
For their part, Westfield remains tight-lipped on the incident, saying Sunday that "There has been no incident at the center today but earlier this afternoon security officers observed suspicious activity that was reported to the San Francisco Police Department.”
As of Monday morning, the mask-bearing gunmen remain at large, according to the SFPD.
Related: SF School District Robo Dials Parents To Address 'Clown Rumors'
Girlfriend Of Chef Found Dead At Westfield Center Alleges Mall Management Cover-Up
