Houston, Aug 12 (AP) Hundreds of panicked people rushed out of a Houston mall after a masked man jumped on a food court table and said he would kill himself before throwing down an unknown object covered in toilet paper.

Houston police were searching for the masked man, who they say left Memorial City Mall amid the chaos Sunday afternoon. Police said he could face a terroristic threats charge.

Police Assistant Chief Sheryl Victorian says, "We don't take this type of thing lightly." The incident comes after a shooter killed 22 people at a Walmart in El Paso on Aug. 3, which was followed hours later by a shooter opening fire in an Ohio entertainment district, killing nine.

Police said two people at the Houston mall suffered minor injuries in the crowd. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)