A social media-fueled "teen takeover" at Bayshore Mall ended with 13 arrests after hundreds of young people flooded the shopping center on Sunday.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE | 13 people arrested after large crowd and fights at Bayshore Mall
As similar incidents take place across the country, Glendale residents are asking who should be held accountable and what can be done to keep kids safe this summer.
Watch: Glendale parents discuss accountability after teen takeover at Bayshore Mall leads to 13 arrests
I spoke with parents and residents as the focus shifted to accountability and to stopping the chaos from happening again.
For some Glendale parents, the incident hit close to home.
"It's crazy because my son kind of roughly told me, like I was thinking about going to Bay Shore yesterday," Marlon Fair said.
Fair said his son wanted to go, but after learning about the takeover, he stepped in.
"I had to have a talk with him about being a follower, you know, being your own person. Look at all the kids that got arrested up there yesterday. They're gonna destroy their future by messing up their names," Fair said.
Fair believes the conversation made the difference.
"Nothing but bad things come from, you know, getting in big groups and wanting to fight. Nothing positive is gonna come out of that," Fair said.
Other parents say accountability starts at home, though keeping teens on the right path is not always easy.
"I do think that it starts at home with good parenting," Christina Novak said.
"Just, you know, knowing where they are—having that trust—and not causing chaos is, you know, where it starts," Novak said.
Others say the responsibility does not fall entirely on parents.
"Starting at home with the parents, but at the same time, if they're teens, they should know right from wrong," Eric Butler said.
With cities like Atlanta now charging parents and Chicago considering similar action, many in Glendale say there is no simple fix.
"That's kind of a slippery slope. Yeah, they should be held responsible, but give them a chance to correct the kids before you just come out and start taxing them," Butler said.
"I would not say the parents should be punished. I think the child should be punished," Novak said.
"Some parents, you know, you gotta work, can't really keep an eye on your kids 24/7," Fair said.
As teen takeovers tend to rise with the warmer weather, parents say staying engaged is key before trouble starts.
"Just talk to them. I keep trying to talk to my kids," Fair said.
I reached out to the Glendale Police about any possible solutions, but have yet to hear back.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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