A robbery at the Stanford Shopping Center occurred Tuesday afternoon, according to a Stanford Department of Public Safety (SUDPS) report. Initial witness reports indicated that the suspect was potentially armed and may have fired a handgun.

A subsequent AlertSU update stated that witnesses heard a gun with a perceived orange tip click during the incident — details which led officers to believe that it could have been a toy.

“Initial reports of actual gunfire have not been substantiated,” the AlertSU read.

As of late Tuesday afternoon, the incident does not pose threats to public safety, according to Palo Alto Police Department (PAPD) spokesperson Brian Philip. The PAPD, the lead investigating agency for this incident, had officers on the scene.

“An unknown suspect robbed the victim of a purse and fled on a bike,” Philip wrote. “No one was hurt and the suspect is outstanding.”

The perpetrator was last seen at the mall heading toward Sand Hill Road. Initial reports of the suspect near Quarry Road were “not confirmed,” the AlertSU read. The PAPD, SUDPS and other neighboring agencies searched for the suspect, who remains at large.

The PAPD tweeted that the area search had been discontinued as of 5:10 p.m., but the case is still under active investigation.

Updates about the investigation can be found on the PAPD Twitter page.