Seven illegal immigrants from Mexico have been charged with trying to rob a jewelry store in a Texas mall on Saturday.

The men, who range in age from 22 to 43, stormed Deutsch & Deutsch at La Plaza Mall in McAllen on Saturday at around 1pm where they smashed the store's cabinets to try to grab merchandise.

Videos of the attempted robbery circulated on social media afterwards. They showed the men wearing masks on their faces and wielding guns at customers in the store.

The appearance of the men with their weapons coupled with the sound of them shattering glass inside the store sparked incorrect reports of an active shooter in the mall.

Surveillance footage from the attempted robbery shows one of the men arriving at Deutsch & Deutsch on Saturday at around 1pm. He immediately pointed his weapon at the store's security guard and ordered him to the ground

As frightened shoppers huddled together in one corner, the thieves took control of the store. Only one was visible from this angle of the surveillance camera inside

Shoppers scurried into stores nearby and hid, terrified that the men would come looking for them with their weapons.

In surveillance camera footage taken from inside the store, one of the gang is seen arriving with his weapon drawn as customers browsed the jewelry.

He pointed his weapon straight at the security guard on duty and forced him to the ground as the shoppers huddled nervously in a corner.

Within a few minutes, a second security guard arrived with his weapon drawn and pointed at the thieves

A plain clothes police officer then arrived (in red) and cornered the thieves in the store

The men were all arrested inside the store before they could steal anything. All now face deportation or 99 years in an American prison

A second thief arrived shortly afterwards. He also had a weapon.

As the thieves made their way through the store, some of the customers were able to slip out the back without notice.

In a matter of seconds, a uniformed security guard arrived with his weapon drawn and pointed it at the thieves.

Two plain clothes officers followed with their own weapons. The thieves retreated at the sight of them and backed further into the store, out of view.

Brayan Oliver Melchor, 23, (left) and Zepeda Abner Posos, 24,(right),

Miguel Quintanilla-Cardenas, 26, (left) and Alberto Rafael Barrera, 32, (right)

Raul Alberto Rangel-Rivera, 43, (left) and Javier Leobardo Olvera-Ramirez, 22, (right)

They were later pictured sitting back to back, their arms in handcuffs and with shattered glass scattered in the background.

Jorge Angel Rodriguez Mejia, 28

The men are Zepeda Abner Posos, 24; Alberto Rafael Barrera, 32; Brayan Oliver Melchor, 23; and Javier Leobardo Olvera-Ramirez, 22, Jorge Angel Rodriguez Mejia, 28; Miguel Quintanilla-Cardenas, 26; and Raul Alberto Rangel-Rivera, 43, were also charged.

According to police, all are undocumented Mexican nationals.

It is not clear how long any of them have been in the US.

Now, they are all being held in custody in Texas on a single charge of aggravated robbery.

Their bond was set at $200,000.

If convicted, the men face up to 99 years behind bars each. The minimum sentence for aggravated robbery in Texas is five years imprisonment.

Five of the men face an additional charge for giving police a false name after their arrest.

The men are expected to complete their sentences in the US or if they will be deported immediately.