The Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance saw a heavy police presence after hundreds of juveniles allegedly created a theft flash mob on Dec. 30.
A total of five minors were arrested and it is believed they all gathered after a social media call to loot stores in the mall.
“We have entered a very sad state when youth visit our community and cause harm and havoc,” Torrance Mayor George K. Chen said in a statement. “Crimes committed by youth or adults that are pre-planned and organized to loot and destroy property are not acceptable. Our criminal justice system must address these crimes so we don’t have these events repeated without serious consequences. We can and must be better.”
A group of “disruptive” juveniles were first spotted by on-foot Torrance Police officers around 4:30 p.m., after which the number of groups increased and came from multiple locations.
Torrance PD said the juveniles continued to be disruptive and injured one of their officers on-scene. That is when help was called to several local police departments, including LAPD, Inglewood PD, Hawthorne PD and multiple others.
“The lawless acts we witnessed do not reflect the values of our Torrance community,” Torrance Police Dept. Chief Jay Heart said. “The Torrance Police Department and our regional law enforcement partners remain committed to quelling these disturbances and restoring order as quickly as possible.”
The officers created a skirmish line, fitted in riot gear and called for the nearly 1,000 minors to disperse.
That is when the Del Amo Fashion Center went on lockdown and multiple surrounding streets were closed off.
Members of the flash mob attempted to agitate the police officers by yelling and spitting at them. Of the five arrested, four were identified as residents of Hawthorne, Compton, Los Angeles and Gardena, with the fifth residence not identified.
After clearing the area, shoppers were escorted out of the shopping center and nearby streets were reopened.
Earlier in the day at Del Amo Fashion Center #Torrance pic.twitter.com/jGE6WsqmPA
— Erick eza (@er1ckm3za) December 31, 2023
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