GLENDALE — Dozens of police squads responded to Bayshore Mall in Glendale on Sunday afternoon in response to a large gathering of people, according to TMJ4 crews on scene.
Glendale Police said they were aware of social media posts referencing a possible “takeover” at Bayshore Mall and worked with Bayshore management to enhance security and increase police presence ahead of time.
Watch: A large crowd showed up to Bayshore Mall in Glendale on Sunday, with some starting fights and police arresting 13 people.
Despite the increased presence, TMJ4 crews saw hundreds of teens gathered at the mall Sunday afternoon, and TMJ4 cameras captured several fights, including one that spilled out onto busy Port Washington Road.
Glendale Police, the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office, and mall security spent several hours working to clear the area and disperse the crowd.
Violence interruption groups were also on scene throughout the afternoon and evening, working to help prevent the situation from escalating.
“We’re just trying to assist in prevention,” said community leader Vaun Mayes. “There’s been talk online of takeovers here and also at Mayfair. We just want to help security, police, and businesses to alleviate that as best we can.”
Mayes said many community organizations responded, including 414 Life, Advanced Peace, and the Department of Community Wellness and Safety, and added that situations like this often happen as the weather gets warmer and large groups of young people gather.
“It’s getting warm, and these are issues that happen all the time, and we just gotta get ahead of it,” Mayes said.
Bayshore Mall posted a reminder Sunday about its parental guidance policy, which states that Friday through Sunday after 3 p.m., anyone 17 and under must be accompanied by an adult.
Community leaders say more needs to be done to prevent large gatherings like this in the future.
“There’s gotta be something more formal to prevent this entirely — programming, support, hopefully businesses involved,” Mayes said.
Glendale Police confirmed at least 13 people were arrested in connection with the incident. Charges range from disorderly conduct and battery to resisting an officer.
A spokesperson for Bayshore mall shared this statement:
"BAYSHORE became aware earlier this week of a potential unauthorized gathering and proactively coordinated with the Glendale Police Department to prepare a plan to manage the situation.
BAYSHORE management worked closely with Glendale police and on-site security, increasing staffing and patrol presence to help ensure a safe environment. Law enforcement also deployed additional officers based on crowd conditions, and we understand that arrests were made.
We are continuing to work with the police department to gather additional information. We have not received reports of any injuries.
We appreciate the swift response of law enforcement and our security team in helping to safely disperse the crowd.
BAYSHORE will continue to enforce its Parental Guidance Required (PGR) policy after 3 p.m. until further notice. Guests under 18 must be accompanied by a supervising adult age 21 or older. BAYSHORE’s code of conduct is always in place."
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