San Francisco police evacuated Stonestown Galleria Wednesday after officers responded to reports of a person making threats at the shopping center.
At about 11:40 a.m., officers were called to the mall near Buckingham Way and Winston Drive and worked with the property manager to investigate the threat, police spokesperson Ofc. Robert Rueca said in a statement. Stonestown Galleria is a shopping center near San Francisco State University.
The mall was evacuated, and traffic in the area was rerouted during the investigation, police said. Rueca said additional SFPD K-9 units and the bomb squad searched the mall’s buildings and the surrounding area Officers from San Francisco State University police and the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office also assisted, he said.
The search found no evidence of a threat, police said, and the mall was allowed to reopen around 3 p.m. Police did not immediately say whether they made any arrests or provide details about the threats made.
People are seen gathered in a parking lot outside of Stonestown Galleria during an evacuation on Wednesday, March 25, 2026 in San Francisco (Lea Suzuki/S.F. Chronicle)
Dozens of people gathered outside the mall as a pair of helicopters circled overhead during the evacuation. Apichai Srisopa, 55, said he was shopping at Whole Foods when an announcement came over the intercom ordering customers to evacuate. Srisopa decamped to the parking lot, abandoning his full cart of groceries.
“They said we could leave if we wanted to leave, but my stuff is in there, so I can’t really go home yet,” Srisopa said.
A security car is seen parked in the middle of 20th Ave. in front of Stonestown Galleria during an evacuation on Wednesday, March 25, 2026 in San Francisco. (Lea Suzuki/S.F. Chronicle)
Srisopa saw people leave the mall “in waves,” he said, as different stores cleared out. Jenna Seaman, who works in Whole Foods’ prepared foods section, said she and her coworkers followed fire-drill protocols after their manager asked them to evacuate the store. Seaman had spent more than 45 minutes sitting on a curb in the the parking lot, watching as officers blocked off the mall’s entrance and brought police dogs inside.
The mall’s operator, GGP, declined to comment and referred inquiries to the San Francisco Police Department.
This article originally published at Stonestown Galleria reopens after S.F. police investigate threats that prompted evacuations.