'The incident unfolded at Westfield Marion Centre in Adelaide just before 3pm on Sunday and triggered widespread reports of an armed person inside.
Centre management activated an audible alert and evacuation alarm, and the centre went into lockdown.
Two women were injured while fleeing the shopping centre. (Matt Turner/AAP PHOTOS)
Shoppers sought refuge in stores as specialist police searched for those involved.
Assistant Commissioner Scott Duval said it was clear from CCTV footage that the incident was not a random attack.
Two boys, aged 15 and 16, of Mitchell Park and Adelaide, were later arrested and charged with assault, affray and aggravated robbery.
Police also seized two expandable batons.
The teens are expected to appear in the Adelaide Youth Court on Monday.
The lockdown comes less than three months after a man attacked shoppers with a knife at a Westfield mall in Bondi Junction, Sydney, killing six people including a security guard.
A 77-year-old woman suffered a shoulder injury while fleeing the centre and another person in their 30s suffered a knee injury, South Australia Ambulance Service said.
Westfield Marion is the largest mall in Adelaide and is located in Oaklands Park, south of the CBD.
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