According to authorities, the Lakewood Center had to shut down earlier than usual on Saturday night due to the unruly behavior of hundreds of teenagers. The situation escalated as around 100 of them started climbing on cars, lighting fireworks, and causing chaos in the mall parking lots.
According to Sgt. Robert Martinez, watch commander of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Lakewood Station, a disturbance at the Lakewood Center involving a large group of teenagers was reported at approximately 8 p.m. on Saturday night. Upon arrival, deputies found numerous teens causing chaos in the area.
The deputies took the initiative to intervene and disperse the group of teenagers, instructing them to go back home.
According to Deputy Tracy Koerner of the Sheriff’s Information Bureau, around 300 juveniles assembled at the Lakewood Boulevard and Candlewood Street mall at 2 pm after seeing a post on social media. They were in and out of the mall throughout the afternoon.
According to Koerner, there could have been a brief altercation that was promptly halted by the deputies.
According to the spokesperson, the Lakewood Sheriff’s Station sought assistance from other stations including Century, Norwalk and Pico Rivera to safely evacuate the juveniles from the stores and the mall.
As captured in social media footage, several teenagers were seen sprinting inside the mall, while deputies were stationed inside the stores, guiding them towards the exit.
According to Koerner, there were no reports of arrests, thefts, or injuries.
On Saturdays, the center typically closes at 9 p.m., but on this particular day, it closed two hours earlier at 7 p.m.
Around 9 p.m., KCAL captured a video from above the scene that displayed an empty mall, except for several sheriff’s patrol vehicles.
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