BATON ROUGE — A woman working at the Mall of Louisiana was in the middle of an active shooter situation on Thursday.

"It just happened so suddenly," the woman, who requested to be anonymous, told WBRZ as she recounted the moment a mass shooting broke out at the mall, killing one and injuring five others.

Her coworker was at the food court when he first heard several shots ring out, seemingly near the Dillards.

"It was a couple rounds, and that's when everybody started heading in the opposite way," she said.

That's when everyone in the area of the food court realized there was an active shooter situation, she said. 

Another worker, Signi Dreyer, who operates the carousel in the middle of the food court, said she initially didn’t realize what was happening.

"At first I heard a loud pop, and then another pop. I thought at first, somebody was shooting fireworks in the food court," Dreyer said.

Dreyer said she had her back turned when the shooting started, but quickly realized the situation when she turned around.

"I was cleaning the carousel. I had my back turned… then I turned around and saw people dropping to the floor and I saw the gun," she said.

That's when everyone in the area of the food court realized there was an active shooter situation, witnesses said.

Dreyer described a chaotic and graphic scene as people rushed to help the injured.

"Blood was everywhere," she said.

Instead of running away, Dreyer said she tried to help those who were hurt.

"People started gathering around them, and I immediately went over there. I grabbed some cleaning rags to try to put on their wounds," she said.

A WBRZ employee at the mall said she and others were herded with employees into the maze of tunnels that run among the mall's stores and taken to a holding area, before a head count of patrons was taken.

Police were seen carrying rifles in one hand and children in the other as they escorted families across a mall parking lot.

Baton Rouge Police Chief T.J. Morse said five people have been taken into custody. 

The Mall of Louisiana is a major hub for city buses serving the southern half of East Baton Rouge Parish. After the shooting, police could be seen boarding buses parked on the outskirts of the mall's property, presumably searching for suspects. Bus service in the area was delayed well into the afternoon.