The Del Amo Fashion Center and streets around the mall were closed on Saturday night while Torrance police officers responded to reports of growing crowds of juveniles.
At about 12:42 p.m., Torrance police officers who were patrolling the mall saw a large group of juveniles fighting and vandalizing, said Sgt. Ron Salary, a spokesman for the Torrance Police Department.
Police officers escorted the juveniles off the mall’s property. Torrance police requested assistance from neighboring police agencies because of the juveniles’ “aggressive behavior” toward the officers, Salary said.
After the fight broke out earlier in the afternoon, crowds of juveniles increased at different spots at the shopping center.
“Some of them are different crowds of juveniles and it started to grow over time,” he said.
Several arrests were made, according to the Torrance police department.
Carson Street was closed from Madrona Avenue to Del Amo Circle East, Torrance police said in a Facebook post. Del Amo Circle East was closed from Carson Street to Fashion Way, and Fashion Way was closed from Madrona Avenue to Amie Avenue, the post said.
The Torrance Police Department on Saturday told the public to avoid the area and said the length of time streets would be closed is unknown.
“We still have the neighboring police officers who are assisting us and our Torrance police officers on scene at the mall,” Salary said.
The Daily Breeze reported that the mall shut down early after police arrived at the shopping center at around 5 p.m. The mall was scheduled to close at 9 p.m. on Saturday. Salary confirmed the mall closed earlier than scheduled.
The policy activity on Saturday isn’t expected to impact the mall’s hours on New Year’s Eve, Salary said. The mall is scheduled to be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, according to the shopping center’s website.
Queenie Wong
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