Police disperse mass group of teenagers from Del Amo Fashion Center property, closing the mall early

There was a robust police response at the Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance Saturday evening as uniformed officers in riot gear rounded up and dispersed a massive group of teenagers whose numbers continued to grow following an afternoon fight. 

Some streets surrounding the mall were closed for at least a couple of hours between 6 and 8 p.m., with the mall closing early as the large group of teens eventually made their way off the property.  

Around 12:42 p.m. a fight broke out and police officers assigned to the mall attempted to contain it, according to police. They said too many teens started to gather and mutual aid was requested after an officer was attacked.

There are several reports that there was a plan on social media for a few hundred teens to meet up at the mall at 7 p.m. for a mass smash-and-grab, but this is not confirmed at this time.   

The city of Torrance sent out a notification around 6 p.m. which said that streets surrounding the mostly southeast side of the mall were closed as police responded to "a large crowd."

As SKYCal flew over the scene around 6 p.m., customers could be seen leaving the mall en masse, with police vehicles and officers on foot flooding the area. 

Police were using loudspeakers to warn the teen crowd they would be arrested if they did not disperse. The mall officially closed early for the night, around 5 p.m., and the streets were reopened around 8 p.m.

Several arrests were made, according to the Torrance police department. 

Related: Brawl at Del Amo Fashion Center draws massive police presence (Aug. 28, 2023)