A major disturbance involving hundreds of juveniles forced a busy shopping mall in Carson to close Saturday night.
Authorities received reports of the large gathering at the SouthBay Pavilion Mall at around 5:20 p.m., according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
During the gathering, a trash can was lit on fire and illegal fireworks were set off inside a store at the mall, deputies said.
Dispersal orders were given to the teens but they reportedly refused to comply. More law enforcement backup was called to the scene as the teens were disrupting business and endangering shoppers, officials said.
“Some kids had started a fire in the trash cans, so they had detained over 100 kids,” said witness Jamila Buie.
Around 60 to 70 juveniles were reportedly detained. It’s unclear what prompted the gathering.
Photos from the scene showed a large law enforcement presence surrounding the mall as the teen suspects were handcuffed.
Authorities spent around five hours detaining the suspects involved.
“Deputies detained multiple juveniles who were issued citations in relation to the incident and will be required to appear in court at a future date,” LASD said.
No injuries or thefts of retail shops were reported during the incident.