Americans react as 14-year-old mass gunman is seen wearing U.S flag hat after he killed three people in Siam Paragon mall shooting

Nearby Siam metro station was also shut.

People posted videos, apparently taken from inside the mall. In one, four loud noises which sound like gunshots can be clearly heard in the busy complex.

Witnesses also said they had taken to hiding inside shops and bathrooms.

Jakkraphan Nakharisi, 29, an ice cream seller who has worked at the mall for two years, told the BBC that he didn’t realise at first that the noises were gunshots.

“There were 4-5 of them. And then silence. Then there were probably another two shots. Then I heard someone in my shop shout “there’s some shooting!”

“I ducked behind the ice cream tank immediately. I didn’t know where to run. I thought I couldn’t just go out recklessly.”

He said he heard security guards escort people off the premises, before he left “no more than 10 minutes after the shooting”.

Siam Paragon is one of the most visited places in Asia. Four other people were injured in the incident at Siam Paragon centre, including a foreign national.

A suspect, 14, has been arrested after surrendering. He had been using a handgun, police said.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said the situation had been brought under control at the centre, which is and is popular with both locals and tourists.

Footage on social media earlier showed shoppers running out of the centre, which was quickly evacuated and had its doors closed. People in the mall were urged to seek shelter shortly after 4pm when gunfire was heard. Terrified shoppers tried to flee the mall and many rushed into shops that opened their doors to let them in.

A survivor called Channel 3, saying True Shop had allowed many people to come inside and hide quietly in the inner part of the store. After it was reported on TV at 5.15pm that the gun-wielding teen had been arrested, shoppers were urged to leave the mall.

As of 6pm, live reports on TV Channel 3 showed many shoppers and store staff leaving the mall, looking terrified.

Police reported that two injured victims were rushed to Police General Hospital, one to Chulalongkorn Hospital and another to Hua Chiew Hospital.

Police said the boy gave conflicting accounts when interrogated at the scene of the crime.

He claimed that he thought someone was going to attack him, so he took out his pistol to open fire.