A BRAZEN gunman was still on the loose last night after a terrifying double shooting at the Gold Coast's busiest shopping centre, as a bikie war on the Glitter Strip escalated to potentially deadly levels.

A woman, 53, was shot in the crossfire as a heavily tattooed bikie opened fire on a rival gang member, believed to be Jacques Teamo, at the packed Robina Town Centre.

Police confirmed the male victim was aged 43.

It is alleged he was shot in the arm and the woman in the buttocks. Both were in a stable condition last night.

Hundreds of shoppers ran for their lives while shopkeepers closed stores and cowered behind counters with customers as shots rang out outside a phone shop near the centre's busy food court and cinema complex.

"I heard a massive bang and turned around and saw the gunman with his hand out and he went 'bang, bang'," said one young male witness, too frightened to be named.

"I ducked down and grabbed my girlfriend and ran. We saw the guy who got shot - another big bikie guy had been shot straight through his arm."

media_camera Paramedics wheel one of the victims from a lift at busy Robina Shopping centre after a double shooting. Picture: Greg Stolz

The witness said the bleeding bikie started walking away with a young child who appeared to be his son.

"The guy who shot him just casually walked out and went down the escalator, just like nothing happened," he said.

Witnesses said both bikies were covered in tattoos.

Hayley Crowe, who works in a shop metres from the shooting, said she heard the gunshots and saw shoppers screaming and running.

"There were people running into our shop," she said.

"Pretty much everyone locked themselves in our back room and closed the door.

"We were pretty scared. It's not something that happens on your average Saturday afternoon at Robina."

English tourist Jason Chambers was heading to the food court with his girlfriend.

"I don't want to say it was like something out of a gangster movie but that's exactly what it was like," he said.

"I didn't think this kind of thing happened in Australia."

Tweed Heads woman Aimee Tilton said she scooped up her two children, aged 5 and 2, and ran into a card shop to hide.

"My first thought was obviously my kids so I just grabbed them and ran into Kenny's Cardiology and jumped behind the counter," she said.

Dozens of police swarmed on the centre and cordoned off a blood-spattered first-floor thoroughfare, which only minutes earlier had been crowded.

Shoppers said they were shocked and angry the bikies were now waging war in public places where innocent people could get hurt.

"It's completely ridiculous," one man said.

"Why don't they just take their feuding and violence somewhere else where nobody can be killed?"

Police Inspector Bruce Kuhn said the gunman was still at large but did not believe he was a public threat.

"At this stage we don't believe there's a threat to any other person," he said.

He would not confirm a link to Tuesday's drive-by shooting at the Bandido-owned East Coast Ink tattoo shop at Mermaid Beach but said investigations continued.

Insp Kuhn said it was fortunate more people were not injured. "It is a very busy shopping centre and there were a lot of people in the vicinity," he said.

Queensland Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson yesterday said the bikie war was the worst he had ever seen in Queensland, while Police Minister Jack Dempsey said the Government would crack down on illegal firearms, imposing harsher penalties.

Mr Dempsey said the Government would look at laws specifically focusing on outlaw motorcycle gangs. "We'll be looking at all laws to ensure that these illegal groups are not feeling comfortable in their beds and in their homes," he said.

The gunman was described as being of Islander appearance, 180cm tall, of muscular build, with full neck tattoo.

Call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 with any information on the incident.

- Greg Stolz, Jeremy Pierce, Alison Sandy