FORT LAUDERDALE — As masked robbers smashed jewelry cases with hammers, screaming shoppers, confusing breaking glass for gunshots, ran for safety inside the Galleria Mall on Sunday.

The chaotic scene unfolded about 3:30 p.m. at the Mayors jewelry store inside the mall on Sunrise Boulevard. The five robbers fled with the loot and led police on a chase to Miami-Dade County, authorities said.

On Monday, authorities said the investigation of the incident is now being handled by the FBI.

The agency identified two men who were arrested in Miami-Dade County following a pursuit from Broward as Malcolm Anwar Williams, 37, and Zavier Mcgee, 34. Both are facing federal charges, the FBI said.

According to the FBI, at least three other people connected to the robbery remain at large.

On Sunday, police initially indicated that three people had been taken into custody. The reason for the discrepency could not immediately be clarified.

Lauderhill Police Department/Courtesy Surveillance footage shows the robbery of Immanuel Jewelry, 1315 N. State Road 7 in Lauderhill. Surveillance footage shows the robbery of Immanuel Jewelry, 1315 N. State Road 7 in Lauderhill. (Lauderhill Police Department/Courtesy) (Lauderhill Police Department/Courtesy)

"They came in broad daylight on a busy Sunday afternoon, just came in demanding, yelling, telling everybody to get down and just started smashing all the glass," Fort Lauderdale Detective Tracy Figone said.

Although there were initial reports of shots fired at the mall because of the sound of shattering glass, no bullets were fired and no one was injured, she said. A police officer working inside the mall heard the commotion and saw two of the robbers fleeing the jewelry store, Figone said.

After stealing an undisclosed amount of watches and jewelry, the robbers jumped into a waiting vehicle, which they later ditched in the 1300 block of North Federal Highway. There, they changed vehicles and continued eluding police.

Erika Pesantes A security guard stands outside the door of the Mayors jewelry store at the Galleria mall in Fort Lauderdale. The store closed Sunday afternoon after a robbery. A security guard stands outside the door of the Mayors jewelry store at the Galleria mall in Fort Lauderdale. The store closed Sunday afternoon after a robbery. (Erika Pesantes) (Erika Pesantes)

Police in marked units followed the robbers south on Interstate 95 into Miami-Dade County where some were finally apprehended.

Carlos Prado, an employee at a pretzel stand near the jewelry store, said shoppers rushed his way and he helped guide them to a stairwell exit nearby. Some of the terrified customers thought there had been a shooting, he said.

"Everybody started running through every direction," Prado said. "It freaked me out because it made me think there was a terrorist attack."

Although he didn't hear the commotion during the robbery, manager Nick Warner said he immediately closed his store's front gate when he saw panicked customers running through the mall. He pushed employees and customers toward the back of the store so they could exit through a back door if a gunman appeared.

"We don't necessarily prepare for this. It's just what I thought to do immediately," he said. "People were literally flooding out like there was a bomb or a bull behind them. They were running and trying to get to the exits."

Another employee at a nearby shop described a similarly frightened crowd "running for their lives."

"We ran too," Mike Negron said. "There were a few people crying."

Upon returning inside the mall, Negron said it was deserted like a "ghost town."

But after the robbery, shoppers continue to flow into the mall. Some sat in cushioned seats in front of the jewelry store engrossed in their smartphones or tending to children. A security guard stood in front of Mayors' closed glass doors as detectives investigated inside.

Margey Ramirez, who works at a kiosk not far from Mayors, said she ran to the nearest store to seek shelter. She likened the sound of breaking glass to "an explosion" as robbers pounded on jewelry cases with hammers.

"I hid myself in one of the closets," she said. "I wouldn't come out for nothing. It was very scary."

The FBI on Monday said the agency is not speculating whether Sunday's robbery is linked to another robbery in which a hammer was used to break into cases containing valuables. On May 23, five masked men robbed the Immanuel Jewelry store in Lauderhill with hammers in hand.

In that case, it took the men about 20 seconds to smash and grab about $200,000 worth of jewelry.

Some of the jewelry stolen Sunday was recovered. The value of the jewelry stolen during the heist was not immediately known.

epesantes@tribpub.com or 954-356-4543 or Twitter @epesantes