EDMONTON -- Two teen males were taken to hospital in serious but stable condition following an incident at Northgate Centre, which was flooded by Edmonton police Friday afternoon.

The teens were stabbed during an altercation outside of the mall, Edmonton police said in a news release. A male attacker then fled the scene, according to investigators.

They were loaded into an ambulance shortly after 12:45 p.m.

Police remain on scene at the Northgate Centre, at 137 Avenue and 97 Street and are still searching for the man who fled.

The 137 Avenue entrance was blocked off with crime scene tape, although customers have not been evacuated from the Walmart.

Eleven nearby schools were briefly put on alert, an Edmonton Public Schools spokesperson confirmed. That means the schools' outside doors were locked, and no one was allowed to enter or leave the building while the order was in effect. 

The school board will continue to take direction from Edmonton Police Service, it said.