Mall Of America Brawl Spurs Smash and Grab Mob of Unruly, Pilfering Teens

Bloomington, Minnesota- Wow, those pissed off teens that didn’t get cars and iPhones this Christmas really weren’t kidding.

Nine people have been arrested for disorderly conduct after a retail-related melee at the Mall of America broke out amid post-holiday crowds. Some web chatter blames rumors that Drake and Lil Wayne were at the mall for the initial chaos, but it seems the spate of several fights and unrest at the Mall of America actually stemmed from just general teen obnoxiousness.

The riotous behavior broke out around 4:20 pm yesterday, and soon escalated. Bloomington police Cmdr. Mark Stehlik confirmed that as many as 100 to 200 teens may have been involved in the seemingly spontaneous fracas, and it was also reported that cell phones may have been used to coordinate the unruly behavior. Officials at the Mall of America confirmed that the mall was put on “lockdown” early on, a move they admit was “premature.” The same officials confirmed that no celebrities were involved in the fracas.

Teens and shoppers on the scene report a largely chaotic atmosphere, with much screaming from both the ostensibly looting youths and the horrified shoppers. Burnsville resident Jennifer Reiland told local press:

“An employee from DQ said that he had worked there for three years and had never experienced anything like this before,” Reiland said. “There was definitely a scary hum in the mall and a lot of parents on their cell phones trying to find their kids. … This was a harrowing experience for myself, my mother and my 5-year-old daughter.”

Calm was restored to the Mall of America at around 5:30 PM, and by 9 PM, Mall of America VP Dan Jasper released a statement addressing the incidents:

“Bloomington police and Mall of America security arrested several individuals following a series of fights in the mall. Unfortunately, as we have witnessed at shopping sites across the country this week, large groups … can come together and create bad situations. … Our officers along with Bloomington police were able to respond immediately and quickly get the situation under control. No serious injuries were reported and the mall remained open. … We will review our security efforts … to see if any changes are required.”

Below is a clip of the Mall of America brawling- note there is some profanity and lots of teen shrieking.