CLEVELAND – Police say a disturbance at an upscale shopping mall outside of Cleveland Monday night appears to have been “loosely organized on social media,” as was at least one other similar disturbance reported in several states.
Officers used pepper spray to disperse a large crowd following a fight at the mall in Beachwood.
“There was something that was going on on social media about a fight that was going to take place here at the Town Center of Aurora, which is what drew all these people, who are up to no good, to our mall, said Sgt. Chris Amsler of the Auroro, Colo., Police Department, where one of the disturbances happened.
Similar fights were reported in malls in New York, Texas and elsewhere, sending post-holiday shoppers scrambling for the exits.
No one was seriously injured in the mall melees which also prompted numerous false reports of gunfire.
In Memphis, Tennessee, police arrested several people following fights at two malls there.