Employees and customers walk out of a mall Sunday in Boynton Beach, Fla. Gunfire erupted at a crowded mall on Christmas Eve afternoon, killing one shopper involved in fight with the gunman, who also shot at police as he tried to flee, authorities said. Police commando team members arrested the suspect after he barricaded himself inside a store at the Boynton Beach Mall, north of Miami, said Boynton Beach Police Lt. Jeffrey Katz.

Boynton Beach, Fla. ? A fight, possibly among gang members, exploded into violence at Boynton Beach Mall while it was packed with Christmas Eve shoppers on Sunday afternoon.

One man was left dead in a pool of blood on the mall floor. Customers dropped to the floor, hid in store closets and ran for cover to avoid stray bullets. Police chased the shooter into a department store, where he barricaded himself and eventually was arrested.

Outside the mall, off Congress Avenue, police moved thousands of cars out of mall lots and onto streets already gridlocked with holiday traffic.

The chaos broke out around 2:30 p.m. in front of J.C. Penney, police said.

Several young men – possibly rival members of Boynton Beach-Lake Worth area gangs – got into a fight.

One pulled a gun and shot another. The shooter ran across the mall, firing at two city police officers in pursuit. Some shoppers heard as many as five shots.

Police chased the shooter into Dillard’s women’s store, and finally the SWAT team swept through the store, found him and he surrendered about 3:30 p.m.

In a scene reminiscent of the Columbine High School massacre, police led groups of mall shoppers and employees out of the department store with their arms in the air.

They were questioned and released.

No one else was injured. Police fired no shots throughout the incident.

“Our officers exercised great discretion by not returning fire,” Boynton Beach Police Maj. Frank Briganti.

Sinette White and Angelique Garcia, both 19 and from Lake Worth, were getting manicures when they heard a loud noise.

“It sounded like something fell, but then people started running into the nail salon and said someone got shot,” White said. “Then we all started running out into the mall. We saw little children huddling in the corners with their mothers.”