Mall fights send post-holiday shoppers scrambling for exits
THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS
Memphis police officers blocked off the entrances to the Oak Court Mall tonight after a disturbance there.
BEACHWOOD, Ohio >> Fights broke out at malls around the country tonight sending shoppers, who were looking for post-holiday deals, scrambling for the exits.
No one was seriously injured in the mall melees, which, during the panic, also prompted numerous false reports of gunfire.
Police in Ohio told Cleveland.com that officers used pepper spray to disperse a large crowd following a fight at an upscale shopping mall in Beachwood, just outside of Cleveland.
A report of shots fired was later determined to be unfounded.
One male juvenile was arrested for allegedly trying to hit an officer during the incident, which police said appeared to have been “loosely organized on social media.”
There were similar disturbances at malls around the country including in New York, New Jersey and North Carolina, where chaos erupted at a mall in Fayetteville and emergency medical personnel were called in to assist someone who had a medical episode while fleeing.
In Memphis, Tenn., police arrested several people following fights at two malls there. No one was injured and no gunshots were fired, despite reports indicating otherwise.
“Somebody yelled ‘gun!’ and youths stampeded through the mall,” Deputy Chief Terry Landrum told The Commercial Appeal.
Police in Aurora, Colo., near Denver, evacuated a mall due to multiple skirmishes.
The trouble reportedly began during an arrest when an unruly crowd surrounded the scene.
Aurora police spokesman Sgt. Chris Amsler said that as the suspect was being taking into custody, the crowd, which mushroomed in size to about 500 people, advanced on the officer and fights broke out. Five juveniles were arrested. No one was hurt.
In Aurora, Ill., outside of Chicago, a mall there was temporarily shut down due to a large disturbance. Videos posted on Twitter showed mall security trying to get the situation under control.
There was no official word on whether any of the fights, which were also reported in Arizona, Texas, Indiana and Connecticut, were connected.
20 responses to “Mall fights send post-holiday shoppers scrambling for exits”
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America is slowly going downhill. What we need is stricter laws, harder gun controls and bring back the death penalty for all states. All serious crimes will require the death penalty. Immediately and not wait on death row for years. Guarantee prison over population will not be a promblem.
This country needs a three strikes and you’re dead law. That will surely reduce prison overcrowding and perhaps rehabilitate those who really want to make a change.
3 and dead, Trump can do it! Bring in the Philippines President to advise.
Gun control really worked at Ala Moana yesterday. Minimum age to own a handgun in Hawaii is 21. Suspected shooter is 20. Funny how the criminals seem to have the guns while law abiding citizens are disarmed.
The primary suspect had been arrested many times for gang activity and drug sales but was proudly walking the streets with his gun. That is what we are told.
So, basically, criminals don[t obey gun laws.
Did he get it legally?
If we’re discussing Dae Han Moon, then no, the gun wasn’t obtained or in his possession legally.
Do any of us really think he cares a hoot what’s written on a piece of paper or what a judge tells him? Really?
Strict gun laws? Ya cant get any stricter than Chicago, and they are going to hit 800 homicides this year. A record. How many of the 800 are blacks killing blacks?
Anybody want to hazard a guess?
Black lives matter. Except to blacks.
A Chicago official stated (in so many words) that economically depressed people with no hope take being disrespected to a serious extreme. It only takes a few tweeted insults to escalate a figurative knocking a chip off somebody’s shoulder to a full-blown blood feud.
Started going downhill when Trump was elected President to run this country, it’ll get worse. Then he’ll start deporting all the non white Americans.
trump will deport the White working class that he duped as well. He despises poor whites as much as any group
Trouble is, and believe it or not, not everybody in prison or even lingering on death row is guilty of the crime that got them there. Would you find it disturbing if society accepted an unjust imprisonment rate of say, 5%? Or how about 10%? If we’re talking just the death penalty alone, then is a 5% “oops” rate okay?
Cleveland, eh? I’ll give you one guess as to the, um, “demographic” of the participants…
Ya got that right. One might think they are all Norwegians until you see the cctv’s available. When the rioters are called youths or teens, you can easily conclude that they are black.
It’s the holiday spirit gone amok! Way to go America, showing the world your true colors.
I wonder if there were any true Christians among the mall crowds?
Shows you why the country elected Trump. That’s how ignorant America is thinking.
Animals.