A 19-year-old man was shot in the leg outside Selfridge’s in Birmingham’s Bullring a shopping centre after violence flared between two gangs.

A 26-year-old was today being questioned by police on suspicion of violent disorder following the Boxing Day drama, which happened at 2.20pm with thousands of shoppers in the centre.

He was arrested and refused treatment for facial injuries after the teenager was shot in the thigh on the ground floor of the centre.

Around 180,000 shoppers flooded the mall yesterday.

Witnesses reported a confrontation between a group of white youths and another group of black youths in the upper floor between Mango and Selfridges shortly before the shooting.

Security staff treated the teenager until paramedics arrived.

Police were called just before 2.20pm and officers cordoned off the scene and the entrance by Starbucks but shops remained open.

Mango worker Jeff Hayben, 22, said: “It was busy and then out of the blue I heard a gunshot. A black lad had been shot in the leg.

“There wasn’t a panic but I don’t think shoppers realised what had happened.”

Insp Bernard McEldowney, from West Midlands Police, said a 19-year-old remained in hospital and inquiries were ongoing.

The centre was open as normal today.