Whats Wrong with People?

Arrests Made as Massive Brawls Involving Hundreds Break Out at Malls Across US on the Day After Christmas

Multiple people, including teenagers, were arrested Monday as massive brawls erupted at more than a dozen malls all over the country in what proved to be a chaotic day for shoppers as they looked to score deals on the day after Christmas.

Some of the mayhem was captured on social media. The chaos prevented some shoppers from grabbing clothes off clearance racks and returning gifts.

The mall incidents, which ranged from minor melees to mass evacuations, occurred from Colorado to Tennessee and Texas to New Jersey. Here’s what happened at eight of those malls.

Police in some cities are investigating the role social media may have played in organizing the disturbances. The motive behind the mall brawls is not yet known.

Aurora, Colorado

It all started with a social media post that promised a fight at the Town Center at Aurora.

Aurora Police Department spokesman Sgt. Chris Amsler said about 100 people had gathered in the food court before the brawls broke out — prompting the Colorado mall to close early on Monday afternoon..

“(It) kind of morphed into this large disturbance,” Amsler said.

When off-duty police officers working as security guards tried to break up a fight, people circled the officers, who called for backup, Amsler said.

As police officers on duty arrived, fights broke out throughout the mall, at a movie theater and at a nearby park-and-ride lot, he said.

He estimated 500 people were involved. Authorities arrested five people, all juveniles, and recovered no weapons, he said. One person assaulted at the park-and-ride lot suffered “significant” injuries and was taken to a hospital, Amsler said.

Aurora, Illinois

In Aurora, Illinois, eight juveniles, ranging in age from 13 to 17, have been charged in connection with the large disturbances at Fox Valley Mall, police said in a statement released Tuesday. The teens were taken into custody Monday evening after police received a call for assistance at the shopping center” due to an unruly crowd in the common area,” police said.

“All of the charges lodged are misdemeanors, however, police are not ruling out enhancing them to felonies,” the statement said. More arrests are possible, police said.

Moments after the call, a fight broke out in the food court area and those were followed by several other smaller altercations, police said.

The brawl forced evacuations and the mall closed. No injuries were reported in the incident.

Manchester, Connecticut

Seven people were arrested, including five juveniles, after several fights involving hundreds of teen broke out around the same time at the Shoppes at Buckland Hills  in Manchester, according to KTLA sister station WTIC in Hartford.

Officers responded to a disturbance involving between eight to 10 teenagers in the mall around 5:30 p.m., police said. After they broke up the initial fight, several hundred teens at various other locations in the mall began fighting, the station reported.

Raekwon Gaines, 20, and Solomon Wilson-Frame, 21, were both arrested on suspicion of second-degree breach of peace. Wilson-Frame also faced a first-degree charge of criminal trespass and interfering with an officer.

Two 15-year-olds, two 16-years-olds and a 14-year-old were also taken into custody and faced various charges including second-degree breach of peace, first-degree criminal trespass and interfering with an officer.

The mall closed three hours early following the fights. The mall said in a statement released to WTIC that the shopping center would reopen Tuesday.

Memphis, Tennessee

In Memphis, seven people were arrested after incidents at two malls, CNN affiliate WMC reported.

Police said a group started a disturbance in the Wolfchase Galleria food court and started running, which prompted some customers to call 911, WMC said.

Then a crowd gathered outside Oak Court Mall, about 10 miles west, and started a disturbance, WMC said. Both malls were cleared and closed early for the night.

Shots were reported in both incidents, but police said they found no evidence of gunfire, WMC said.

No injuries were reported, CNN affiliate WATN said.

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Loud sounds kicked off a wave of panic at Hamilton Place Mall, in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Several people were pushed to the ground as shoppers rushed to exit the mall, police said.

Officers rushed to the scene after receiving reports of "shots fired," but the sounds turned out to be fireworks.

"Our investigation concluded that it was perpetrated a group of individuals who were setting off fireworks, possibly to coverup the actions of a shoplifting crime," the Chattanooga Police Department said in a statement.

Minor injuries were reported after the incident.

Police have descriptions of the suspects involved in this incident and video footage, the statement said.

Fayetteville, North Carolina

In Fayetteville, North Carolina, people panicked after teenagers fought in the food court, Fayetteville police spokesman Shawn Strepay told CNN affiliate WRAL. No shots were fired, despite reports of gunfire, Strepay said.

"Once people start running in that area or chairs are getting knocked over, tables, that sort of thing, that echoes and it could resemble the sound of a gunshot to a lot of people," he said.

Elizabeth, New Jersey

The first calls from the The Mills at Jersey Gardens came in just after nightfall Monday. Witnesses said they thought they had heard shots fired. That, along with a fight, led to what Elizabeth police Officer Greg Jones described as a "chaotic panic and everybody running all at once."

Ultimately, though, patrons had mistaken the sound of a chair slammed during a fight for gunfire, city officials told CNN affiliate News 12 New Jersey. Two people, an 8-year-old and 12-year-old, were injured, the station reported.

Fort Worth, Texas

The security guards had no other choice but to place the Hulen Mall on lockdown. At one point, police told CNN affiliate KTVT, at least 100 people were involved in a series of fights.

Fort Worth Police spokeswoman Tamara Velle said officers initially responded to reported gunfire inside the mall. After breaking up the fights, officers stopped by each store to let people leave while the lockdown remained in effect, KTVT reported.

There were no reported injures or property damage -- thanks in large part to local police, Kelle said.

"You keep hearing the horror stories of the mall shootings across the nations right now," Velle told KTVT. "Anytime we're hearing about a mall shooting and it's the day after Christmas, (where) you have tons of people holiday shopping ... we're going to get in there as fast as we can."

Beachwood, Ohio

Shortly after sunset, a large-scale disturbance broke out at Beachwood Place Mall, in Beachwood, Ohio.

An initial report of gunfire was quickly found to be false by police.

"One male juvenile was arrested for attempting to strike an officer that was dealing with another disorderly patron," Beachwood police said in a statement.

Beachwood police, officers from nearby jurisdictions and mall security were able to disperse the juveniles and remove them from the mall, police said in a statement. Beachwood Police Capt. Gary Haba told CNN that pepper spray was used to disperse a large crowd at one point.

The disturbance appears "to have been loosely organized on social media," the statement said.

Beachwood mall was re-opened and there were no injuries or other arrests.

MY OPINION

You know whats wrong with the people today? Two things and you might not like me for it but this is my opinion.

1.  They don't have Christ in their life and
2.  No discipline from parents, which is caused by these activist groups (politically correct and human rights to name a couple).

They make it a crime to discipline kids. Parents are afraid to do it or just don't care. Therefore kids roam around free and are not held accountable for their actions. Parents...STEP-UP and do your job!! Raise your kids right.

Now I'm not saying going out and beat your children, don't put words in my mouth. I'm saying discipline them with love and kindness, if that includes a butt whippin then so be it. Just don't do it to the point where your hurting the child and definitely not when you are angry or excessively. That is the worst time (when angry) to discipline a child.