A Southern California mall was forced to close its doors early Saturday night after the venue was flooded with teenage fights.
Long Beach police quickly responded to the scene at The Pike Outlets after a fight between two girls escalated into an all-out brawl.
Footage of the massive brawl saw around 200 people gather at the mall after a social media post went viral suggesting there would be a fight between two women, an adult and a juvenile.
Officers were on standby before the melee and were able to quickly identify the two women around whom the fight broke out.
Pike Outlets in Long Beach, California, closed their doors prematurely after a fight broke out between two girls that turned into an all-out brawl involving several hundred people.
A social media post led to a gathering of 200 people at the mall, suggesting there would be a fight between two women.
Video footage from the scene shows the two girls engaged in a fight
The girls were surrounded by a large group of teenagers seen recording the incident on their cellphones.
One of the girls approached the other and a fight immediately broke out, with both girls taunted by hundreds of teenagers, many of whom filmed the ruckus on their cell phones.
The fight between the two girls seemed particularly violent as punches flew and both girls grabbed each other’s hair and clothes.
The violence only grew as bystanders shouted and screamed as the fight developed in the mall.
Warned well in advance, the police arrived on the scene 30 seconds later and managed to wait. Both participants were quickly handcuffed and taken into custody.
The identities of the two women arrested have not been revealed and the reason for the first confrontation remains unclear.
A few police officers remained on site to monitor the area, and a bus was brought in to prepare for the possible arrest of several minors.
The two women were arrested by police although they have not been identified.
The motive for the fight has not been revealed. The second of the two women is seen here
The two women are arrested by the police, one of them being pinned to the ground.
Police were on scene 30 seconds after the fight started.
There were hundreds of bystanders all capturing the fight on their phones.
Dozens of police officers were on site, alerted to the possibility of a fight.
Police could be seen waiting in the mall moments before the fight began.
The Pike Outlets decided to close stores early at 6 p.m. after being notified of the impending fight with Long Beach police warning that anyone remaining in the area after a certain amount of 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 remaining in the area within 10 minutes will be arrested for trespassing. »
“Last night, hundreds of miners came to The Pike as part of a viral meet-up on social media. Our officers were prepared and extremely visible throughout downtown.
“In addition to spreading available resources to various other parts of the city, we found it necessary to declare a Level 2 Tactical Alert, meaning we withheld our daytime officers and quickly deployed our post-war officers. noon to make sure we were able to support the team. group activity in the downtown area, as well as responding to calls for service throughout the city,” explained Long Beach Police Chief Wally Hebeish in a statement.
The police intervened quickly and immediately arrested the troublemakers.
Long Beach Police Chief Wally Hebeish released a statement Sunday about what happened.
“At one point, a fight broke out and the police officers immediately intervened by charging into a large crowd, taking control of the situation and arresting the two suspects involved.
“Shortly thereafter, a shooting occurred outside the area of The Pike. Again, officers were almost immediately on scene and began providing medical aid to the victim. We are actively investigating the incident and will hold the suspect accountable for his actions.
“I am incredibly proud of the efforts of our officers last night and want to reiterate that the Long Beach Police Department will not tolerate any criminal acts or violence in our community,” said Chief Hebeish.
Following the altercation, reports emerged of a nearby shooting involving a young man, who was discovered near The Promenade with a gunshot wound to his lower body.
Police patrol vehicles are seen on the roads outside the mall on Saturday evening.
Police stayed until nightfall to ensure everyone had left the mall after its early closure.
Long Beach officers were on scene at The Pike Outlets well before the fight.
The victim received medical treatment at a local hospital and is reported to be in stable condition.
It is unclear whether the individuals present during the fight at The Pike Outlets were related to those involved in the shooting,
Long Beach residents say there is real concern in the community following a recent outbreak of violence in the community.
Several other disturbing incidents have occurred in the area in recent weeks, including last week’s shooting of a food truck vendor who died nearby while intervening in the robbery of an elderly woman .