A mass casualty event has rocked a Texas Mall after a vehicle crashed inside the building during a police chase and multiple shots were fired.

Killeen Mall, 80 miles north of Austin, was placed into lockdown after a black pickup truck smashed into shoppers on Saturday evening in a sickeningly similar attack in Germany – with at least five left injured.

A Texas Highway Patrol Trooper tried to stop the vehicle due to concerns the driver was intoxicated, which led to a 19-mile police pursuit, Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Bryan Washko explained at a conference outside the mall.

The suspect drove through the glass doors of a JC Penney store entrance, with videos on social media show horrified people fleeing.

“The suspect drove through the doors and continued to travel through the JC Penney store, striking multiple people,” said Washko.

A gunfight then ensued between the driver and troopers, with the threat ended when the suspect was shot dead.

“I heard the shooting,” a Spencer’s store employee told local media outlet Killeen Daily Herald. “People were scared. We escorted about 20-25 people in the store to the back and locked the doors to ensure their safety.”

Four people were transported to the hospital with injuries ranging from minor to severe, while a fifth individual sought medical care on their own.

Describing the victims, Washko said: “There’s people in here shopping for their families, their children, their friends, loved ones, and these kinds of things we don’t like to see, obviously, and we pray for their recovery.”

Killeen Police Spokeswoman Ofelia Miramontez the police chase started in Belton, a city 19 miles east of Killeen.

“All I have is that there was a pursuit that came in from Belton,” said Miramontez. “The vehicle went into the mall.”

Shortly after first news of the incident came at 5:40pm, Killeen police revealed the active shooter situation was over.

“We are aware of an incident at the Killeen Mall and there are some injuries being reported. The area is secure at this time,” Killeen Police Department wrote on Facebook.

“We ask that you avoid the area as first responders conduct their investigation.”

They then updated the post to reveal there was no active shooter situation, adding: “DPS, KFD and KPD are currently on scene investigating this incident. The area is secure and we urge citizens to stay away from the Killeen Mall at this time.”

The incident is eerily similar to an attack in Germany on Friday, where more than 200 people were also injured when the man driving a BMW plowed into holiday shoppers in the city of Magdeburg.

Police arrested the driver, a 50-year-old Saudi doctor, at the scene and are working to determine what motivated a man to drive a car into the crowd.

Local media said the suspect was named Taleb A, a psychiatry and psychotherapy specialist who has lived in Germany since 2006. 

The death toll has now risen to five, and authorities believe he acted alone but questions remain about the motive behind the car ramming. 

On Saturday, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the suspect was “evidently Islamophobic.” 

“Everything else is a matter for further investigation and we have to wait,” she said. 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz described the car ramming as a “terrible act.” 

“There is no more peaceful and cheerful place than a Christmas market,” Scholz said. 

Mourners lit candles and placed flowers outside a church near the market.