Moviegoers live-tweet hostage situation at Los Angeles mall Via Twitchy

The Promenade at Howard Hughes Center in Westchester, Los Angeles is on lockdown today as police respond to reports of a late-night armed robbery and hostage situation at Nordstrom Rack. A SWAT team is on the scene and people at a nearby Rave Cinemas are not allowed to leave during the standoff.

is stuck in the locked-down Rave Cinemas while LAPD SWAT conducts an action at the Howard Hughes Center…—
Eric Mark (@EgcM) January 11, 2013

Swat team stopped our movie and put the whole mall on lockdown becau @ The Promenade at Howard Hughes Center instagr.am/p/UVo8yyEINE/—
Andrew Dayrit (@andrewdayrit) January 11, 2013

Rave cinemas keeping patrons in to watch zero dark thirty and gangster squad. Nice of them but definitely ironic – cops or terrorists?—
Jack Sheehan (@jackjsheehan) January 11, 2013

There may be 200 people inside the movie theaters.

WCHESTER: LAPD may leave 200 ppl inside movie theaters. Don't want 200 folks caught in any crossfire. #Hostage #NRack—
@LAScanner (@LAScanner) January 11, 2013

One Twitter user says he is with the mother of an employee being held hostage at Nordstrom Rack:

@PamelaChelin employee her mother is waiting—
Dominic O (@MomCallsMeDom) January 11, 2013

@PamelaChelin employee her mother is waiting—
Dominic O (@MomCallsMeDom) January 11, 2013

@PamelaChelin hostage mom siting next to us devastated an we tried to calm her down me @OG_Spoon and @moecrazy59 went to her—
Dominic O (@MomCallsMeDom) January 11, 2013

Reports from others on the scene:

Gangster Squad was really good!!! They still won't let us leave though, so they're going to play Django for us now…..—
Andrew Dayrit (@andrewdayrit) January 11, 2013

@richardrushfield Went to leave and the employees told us the promenade is on lock down and no one could leave. Aftr that they spilt us up—
Simeon Campbell (@Simisim04) January 11, 2013

@PattiPMS57 No they close at 10pm. They came in after they where closed. We are still on lock down.—
Simeon Campbell (@Simisim04) January 11, 2013

@PamelaChelin Yes we want to get out! They won't let us!—
Simeon Campbell (@Simisim04) January 11, 2013

@BuzzFeedEnt Seeing big flashing lights like an explosion. It stopped now so hope they got in !—
Simeon Campbell (@Simisim04) January 11, 2013

@PamelaChelin explosion just went off—
Dominic O (@MomCallsMeDom) January 11, 2013

This moviegoer appears to have made it out of the theater before the lockdown.

Our Movie stopped at theater in building next to nordstroms hostage situation. We ran through exit. Safe now—
Bonn Lahouti (@blahouti) January 11, 2013

bomb squad and special tactics unit here. They just rolled out the bomb robot. Over 14 heavily armed police left the building 5 min ago—
Bonn Lahouti (@blahouti) January 11, 2013

Twitchy will monitor this developing story and update as more information becomes available.
Update:
Unconfirmed reports indicate 14 hostages have been rescued and no arrests have been made.

LAPD Media Relations update on the Nordstrom Rack hostage situation at Howard Hughes Pkwy. 14 hostages rescued. No arrests #GoodDealsBadGuys—
Russell Stevens (@RussellCStevens) January 11, 2013

LAPD giving statement to media regarding 14 employees held and recovered at hostage site at Nordstrom Rack—
Venice 311 (@Venice311) January 11, 2013

Update:

#UPDATE #NORDSTROMRACK hostages are safe #LAPD is actively searching for suspects. Watch @ktlamorningnews starting right now for the latest!—
KTLA NEWS DESK (@KTLAnewsdesk) January 11, 2013