Greece Ridge Mall closes early after teenagers cause nuisance

GREECE, NEW YORK. A mall in Greek Ridge closed early Thursday after police said teenagers were acting disorderly inside and later got into a fight outside the mall.

Dozens of police cars surrounded the mall as officers worked to clear the mall around 6 p.m. There were no fights inside the mall, the police broke up the fights outside. The police detained two 16-year-old teenagers for hooliganism.

The chaos also affected nearby businesses, including Target, which was evacuated and closed, and McDonald’s, which closed its doors.

Shoppers at Target shared their experiences. Lisa, a shopper, said: “It was great to see them take action and make sure we were all safe and evacuated safely.”

Riley and Kes, also shoppers at Target, described the scene: “We’re trying to get out and as soon as we got to the door, everyone came up. I guess there was a fight in the parking lot or something, so they locked the doors and we were stuck. Closed”.

Terani McClary, who dined at King Crab, said: “They came into King Crab when people were enjoying their lunch and started doing the same thing. And another person told them you have to get out so everyone can enjoy the food and the kids just started making out and it just started getting really crazy.”

GPD assigned the detail to the mall to help prevent chaos during the holiday shopping season. Police say no businesses in the mall or surrounding businesses were damaged.

The mall said in a statement that the teenagers were running around the mall creating obstacles and refusing to leave. The shopping center clarified that it was these disruptions, and not fights, that caused the shopping center to be closed.

The statement also said Greek police and mall security were on standby as the teenagers planned disruptions on social media at several malls. Here is part of the statement:

“The Greek Police Department and mall security anticipated this large influx of teenagers tonight as it was planned on social media at several malls, including Buffalo. It was planned and we were ready.”

“Due to the large number of teenagers, we decided to close the mall as a precautionary measure. The quick response of the Greek police department prevented violence in the mall. Later, when the teenagers separated in the parking lot, a physical fight took place, but there was no serious violence.”

“RTS kindly sent additional buses to take the teenagers home. We are very grateful for the quick response of the Greece Police, the New York State Police and the Rochester Police Department, who all responded to keep the mall safe. This is the only major incident that has occurred at the mall since last year on this date. The Mall at Greece Ridge strictly enforces curfews and uses new app technology to communicate with mall employees and ensure their safety.”

The disturbance is reminiscent of a similar event last year on the day after Christmas, when up to 200 teenagers caused the mall to close early.

The mall, which was scheduled to remain open until 8 p.m. Thursday, has a curfew policy that requires anyone under the age of 19 to be accompanied by a legal guardian. Mall officials said they will continue to strictly enforce this rule.

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