Multiple juveniles arrested following fight at Monroeville Mall
MONROEVILLE, Pa. (KDKA) — Christmas is over, but the malls are still packed with shoppers seeking deals and making returns.
At the Monroeville Mall, it's a time when fights have broken out among teenagers, including on Tuesday night. It marked the third time in recent years the day after the holiday.
Lukas Liscio was disappointed, learning once again that teenagers got into multiple fights at the Monroeville Mall during the holiday season.
"It's very unfortunate," Liscio said. "It's supposed to be a time of joy and family and just happiness in the world and peace."
Monroeville Police Chief Doug Cole told KDKA-TV that around 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday, officers responded to a disturbance at the mall, with several teens acting disorderly. No one was seriously hurt. They took at least seven teens into custody before returning them to their parents.
While the circumstances behind the fights remain unclear, similar incidents happened in 2014 and 2016 on Dec. 26.
Liscio was there in 2014, and like many kids the day after Christmas, he was spending money he got for the holiday.
"I looked down onto the lower floor to see massive fights breaking out, probably 10, 20 people. People were on the floor. They're missing clothes, missing shoes, people were stealing shoes right off of people's bodies," Liscio said.
Cole said until Tuesday, these holiday brawls had died down. They did have extra officers on hand.
The mall also has a "Youth Escort Policy" in place every Friday and Saturday from 4 p.m. to close. Signs on mall doors show it was in effect Tuesday and will continue through Jan. 1, 2024, from open to close.
According to the mall's website, the policy says visitors under 18 are required to be accompanied by a parent or guardian during the specified periods. It applies to the entire property, except stores with exterior entrances. It also says anyone in violation or who refuses to leave may be prosecuted for trespassing.
Jo Womack of McKeesport, who was shopping at the mall on Wednesday, hopes this doesn't spark more fights at the mall again.
"The behavior is unacceptable," Womack said. "We've got some nice stores here and we don't want them to close and they're moving because of the troubled teens."
Instead, she, like Liscio, wants this to teach kids a lesson.
"I hope that the kids grow up and see that the violence really isn't the way to do it," Liscio said. "The violent behavior, it doesn't lead anywhere positive in life, and it's just going to weigh you down and hold you back."
KDKA-TV reached out to the mall owners for comment. A spokesperson for CBL Properties said the signs about the policy went up before Tuesday but wouldn't say why it didn't start earlier in the holiday shopping season.
On Wednesday after 4 p.m., KDKA-TV caught officers responding to another incident at the mall. They told KDKA-TV that an officer already there called for backup regarding a gathering in the food court to prevent it from becoming something bigger.
