Lauderhill Mall Fight Latest Case Of Teens Using Social Media To Plan Mayhem

A Lauderhill Mall fight this weeked involving more than 200 teenagers is the latest in a worrying trend of social media being used to plan fights and other illegal activity.

The incident this weekend took place in Florida, as scores of teens descended on a mall parking lot for a brawl planned out on Facebook and Twitter. After a commotion started across the street from the mall, word quickly spread through social media and dozens more people showed up to fight.

Though there were reports that the fight may have been sparked by an argument between two girls, possibly in relation to the Trayvon Martin case, it quickly turned into a free-for-all.

“I just heard that anybody that had beef with each other is supposed to come over here and fight,” said Frank Francis, a witness to the fight. “People was getting hit by [traffic] cones. Like fighting, like a brawl.”

The Lauderhill Mall fight grew so large so quickly that authorities had to shut down part of the mall as police tried to break up the gathering.

For all the good social media has done in connecting people and promoting charitable causes, there is still the dark side, as evidenced by the fight in Florida. In recent years the expansion of Facebook and Twitter has allowed large groups of mostly teenagers to plan out robberies and fights, staying a step ahead of police.

Last summer a mob of close to 300 teenagers terrorized employees and shoppers in a Walmart in Florida, destroying merchandise and stealing a security scanner worth $1,500.

Another flash mob less than two weeks later targeted a clothing store in Chicago, with a group of teenagers organized by social media descending to steal $3,000 worth of designer jeans.

Despite the size of the Lauderhill Mall fight, only one injury was reported, a 16-year-old who suffered a minor injury. Police said they don’t expect to file any criminal charges.