Bloomington (US), Apr 22 (AP) An area near the Mall of America was closed on Friday evening as authorities were negotiating with a person was was believed to have a gun.

Crisis negotiators were communicating with the suspect, who “has what is believed to be a firearm" and they were trying to negotiate his surrender, the Bloomington Police Department said on Twitter.

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The age of the suspect is not immediately known.

Roads near the mall were closed shortly before 5 pm on Friday and officials have asked the public to avoid the area.

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Mall of America spokesperson Laura Utecht said one mall entrance near the site of the disturbance was closed but the mall remains open. (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)