A citizen’s arrest of a naked man in a busy Westfield has left shoppers terrified and all asking the same question

An 18-year-old’s naked rampage through a busy Westfield has raised serious questions about the centre’s safety response after a group of shoppers were forced to arrest the teenager.

The teenager, wearing only socks, began smashing glassware and coffee mugs at Westfield Marion, Adelaide’s largest shopping centre, on Monday.

Witnesses said the teen confronted a woman in a stroller before three bystanders, including a woman with a shopping cart, wrestled him to the ground.

It is clear that the man has autism and was in the middle of a mental episode.

A woman who recorded the incident was heard asking “where’s security?” as the man continued to throw glassware.

“We saw two security guards standing there,” said witness Michelle Palmer.

“(They) didn’t have their hands on him.”

The man was not charged; police deemed it a mental health incident and helped the man’s caregivers bring him home.

The man (photo center) started breaking glassware in Westfield Marion on Monday

Several shoppers were forced to make a citizen’s arrest on the man in the mall

It comes just months after three teenagers allegedly brandished machetes and batons at Westfield Marion, shutting down the shopping center and prompting a heavily armed police response.

The NSW Coroners Court is conducting an investigation into possible failings in the mental health system and shopping center safety protocols following April’s mass stabbing at the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre.

Six people were killed and many more were injured.

The center only raised the alarm after the perpetrator, Joel Cauchi, was shot dead by police.

A spokesperson for Scentre Group, which operates Westfield Australia, said: ‘Our security depends on the involvement, cooperation and co-operation of government law enforcement agencies to provide security for our customers, especially in incidents requiring the use of physical resources. power.’

“Following the horrific attack at Westfield Bondi, we have further increased our security presence across all our Westfield destinations.

“We have introduced additional personal protective equipment, including vests for all members of the security team, which has increased the profile and visibility of our security team.”