© Image via Instagram user Andrewdayrit
The call first came in around 11:20 p.m. Thursday from the Promenade at Howard Hughes Center, near the 405 Freeway.
When officers arrived at the scene, they observed a black male coming out of the store, according to LAPD Lt. Andy Neiman.
They attempted to make contact with the man, and he looked at the officers and then ran back inside.
Moments later, they saw another man come out, accompanied by a woman.
"He then looked in the officers' direction, grabbed that female and forced her back into the location," Neiman said.
SWAT officers surrounded the shopping center and closed off the area. They were able to make entry into the Nordstrom Rack and found 14 hostages inside.
Many had been forced into a storage room by the suspects, according to Neiman. A couple of other hostages were found hiding inside a bathroom.
Police said the robbery suspects were still at large. SWAT officers searched the complex thoroughly but came up empty-handed.
The area has since been re-opened, and police are now in the process of interviewing the hostages.
No vehicle description was immediately available, Neiman said. The suspects have been described only as two black males in their mid- to late-20s.
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