This Halloween, clients of the upscale Multiplaza Escazú shopping center had the scare of a lifetime – but not from goblins or ghosts.

Clients reported running for cover as shots rang out on the first floor of the glitzy shopping center as robbers assaulted Eurochronos around 2 p.m., according to police reports. This same store was robbed last April.

It is estimated that the robbers made off with upwards of US$5 million in jewelry during today’s incident at Multiplaza.

A simultaneous jewelry theft occurred about two kilometers away at the modest shopping center Plaza Colonial adjacent to the church and plaza of San Rafael de Escazú, said police. This involved a hold-up of Joyería Tiempo Global. It is unclear whether this theft also involved shooting.

No reports of injuries or deaths have come to light after this afternoon’s incidents.

Thanks to video footage from security cameras in the Multiplaza parking lot, the vehicle used by those involved in the Eurochronos robbery was located some time later at Plaza Boulevard, also in Escazú. The vehicle was unoccupied and contained bloodied clothing, as well as a suitcase and two firearms, detailed police.

The subjects in both robberies remain at large. Police suspect they work together or are part of the same band of robbers.

Multiplaza shoppers reported their panic when shots rang out near Eurochronos in reports to local media.

“I was coming out of Liberia Internacional, when a group of men came shouting, ‘Quiet, quiet!’ I could not see them well, and then many bullets were heard. My reaction was to run to get safe so I went to a store where a man opened the door, there was a lot of confusion and we kept hearing bullets,” said Nayuribe Vargas to CRHoy.com.

Last April, three men robbed the same store in Multiplaza Escazú, but used different techniques. The men were so suave with their maneuvers other clients never noticed they robbed the place, leaving with gobs of cash and loads of stolen jewels. The robbers had thoroughly cased the joint to know when the ideal time to attack was, and held up the store on a busy Saturday afternoon when security was thin, and without firing a single shot made off with a huge booty.