A shopping mall in Southern California was forced to close early on Saturday evening after the venue became swamped by brawling teenagers.
Police in Long Beach were quickly on the scene of The Pike Outlets mall after a fight between two girls resulted in an all-out brawl.
Footage of the massive scuffle saw about 200 individuals all congregating at the mall after a social media post went viral suggesting there would be a fight between two females, one adult and one juvenile.
Officers were on standby ahead of the melee and were quickly able to identify the two females around which the fracas broke out.
The Pike Outlets in Long Beach, California closed early after a fight broke out between two girls which spilled over into an all-out brawl involving several hundred
A social media post led to a gathering of 200 people at the shopping center that hinted there was to be a fight between two females
Video footage from the scene sees the two girls engaged in a brawl
One of the girls approached the other and the fight immediately broke out with the pair jeered on by hundreds of teens, many of whom filmed the ruckus on their cellphones.
The fight between the two girls looked particularly violent as punches flew and the pair grabbed one another by each other’s hair and clothes.
The violence only seemed to grow as bystanders screamed and yelled as the fight spilled out into the mall.
Police were on the scene within 30 seconds having been tipped off well in advance, managing to lie in wait. Both participants were swiftly placed in handcuffs and taken into custody.
The identities of the two women who were arrested has not been disclosed and the motive behind the initial confrontation remains unclear.
A few police officers remained on-site to monitor the area, with a bus brought in to accommodate the possibility of several juveniles being detained.
The girls were surrounded by a large group of teens seen recording the incident on their cellphones
Both females were taken into custody by police although they have not been identified
The motive behind the brawl has not been revealed. The second of the two women is seen here
The two women are seen being arrested by police with one forced to the ground
Police were on the scene within 30 seconds of the brawl breaking out
There were hundreds of bystanders all capturing the fight on their phones
Tens of police were on the scene having been alerted to the potential of a brawl to break out
Police could be seen on standby in the mall in the moments before the fight broke out
The Pike Outlets decided to close the shops early by 6pm after being notified about the impending brawl with Long Beach Police warning anyone remaining in the area after a certain time would face trespassing charges.
‘Attention in the area, the property is now closed by management,’ Long Beach police said in a statement at the time. ‘Anyone who remains in the area in 10 minutes will be subject to arrest for trespassing.’
‘Last night, we had hundreds of juveniles come to The Pike as part of a viral social media meet up. Our officers were prepared and extremely visible throughout the downtown area.
‘In addition to spreading available resources throughout various other parts of the city, we found it necessary to declare a Stage 2 Tactical Alert, meaning we held over our day shift officers and deployed our afternoon shift officers quickly to ensure we were able to support the group activity in downtown, as well as respond to calls for service citywide,’ a statement by Long Beach Police Chief Wally Hebeish explained.
Cops moved in quickly and promptly arrested the troublemakers
Long Beach Chief of Police, Wally Hebeish, released a statement on Sunday as to what had occurred
‘At one point, a fight broke out, and officers immediately intervened by running into a large crowd, taking control of the situation, and arresting both suspects involved.
‘Shortly thereafter, a shooting occurred outside of The Pike area – again, officers were almost immediately on scene and began providing medical aid to the victim. We’re actively investigating the incident and will hold the suspect responsible for their actions.
‘1 am incredibly proud of the efforts of our officers last night, and I want to reiterate that the Long Beach Police Department will not tolerate criminal acts or violence in our community,’ Chief Hebeish said.
Following the altercation, reports emerged of a nearby shooting involving a juvenile male, who was discovered nearby at The Promenade with a gunshot wound to his lower body.
Police patrol vehicles are seen on the roads outside of the shopping center on Saturday night
Police stayed until darkness fell to ensure everyone had left the mall following its early closure
Long Beach officers were on scene at The Pike Outlets well in advance of the brawl
The victim received medical treatment at a local hospital and was reported to be in stable condition.
It it not clear whether individuals present during fight a The Pike Outlets were connected to those involved in the shooting,
Long Beach residents of Long Beach say there is real concern within the community following a recent surge in violence within the community.
Several other disturbing incidents have occurred in the area in the last few weeks including the stabbing of a food truck vendor last week who nearby lost his life as he was intervening in a robbery of an elderly woman.
