Fire officials said that at about 3 pm, an open-air mall in Fangquan Valley, California, reported a violent bee colony.

Santa Ana resident John Madrid said that he went to the Sizzler restaurant for dinner with his girlfriend and best friend, but when they got out of the car, bees attacked them.

“I started running like crazy and they attacked my girlfriend and my best friend,” Madrid said. “I pulled the stinger from my girlfriend’s neck. I may have pulled 15 bees out of her hair. It was a disaster.”

The bee also entered the car in Madrid because he opened the door while trying to repel the bee. They also sent his friends to ask for help.

“I can’t believe it. My Buddy weighs 315 pounds. He is a big, strong man. He cries like a baby.’Help me, John!'” Madrid said.

Video from the open-air shopping mall showed firefighters and other rescuers in protective clothing walking around the parking lot, looking for beehives, and spraying water from hoses on the bushes.

Fountain Valley Fire Department Chief Bill McQuaid said that people in local businesses were told to hide in place until the swarm was controlled.

Several firefighters were also stung, but McQuaid said they were not taken to the hospital.

The Orange County Fire Department also responded to the scene and mobilized additional resources to foam the bees so that those who were stung could receive medical attention.