Nearly two dozen people under the age of 18 were arrested after authorities say "several altercations" broke out in and around Summit Mall in Fairlawn on December 26th.
According to releases from the Fairlawn Police Department as well as the Summit County Sheriff's Office, the "disorder" involved "a surge of unsupervised juveniles" both inside the shopping center and in the parking lot. As law enforcement "worked to restore order," the mall was forced to close at 5:30 p.m., 30 minutes earlier than scheduled.
"This situation has become a recurring issue that we have been anticipating and preparing for," Fairlawn police said in a statement, in reference to similar incidents that have plagued the mall in recent years. "In light of past incidents, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, along with Bath and Copley Police, provided assistance to our agency."
This all happened on "Boxing Day." Dec. 26 is recognized in Canada and the United Kingdom as a day to score on good deals and go shopping. However, Summit County Sheriff Kandy Fatheree tells 3News that over the last four years in Akron, the day has taken on a different meaning.
"Well, the kids in our community apparently have decided to take Boxing Day to a different level and, literally, (are) boxing, fighting," Fatheree said.
According to Fatheree, multiple deputies were assaulted, including one who was injured before being treated and released by members of the Fairlawn Fire Department. The sheriff claims a teen girl punched the deputy in the face and was charged with felony assault on a peace officer.
Twenty juveniles in total were taken into custody and face a variety of charges including trespassing, obstruction of justice, and disorderly conduct, and assaulting a peace officer.
"Aside from general disorder and altercations among the juveniles, there were no significant incidents," the department wrote in a statement. "Claims of gunfire, active shooters, or other violent acts being shared online are unfounded and irresponsible."
Fatheree is calling on parents to get involved and prevent their children from attending the mall unaccompanied by an adult over the holiday season.
“We're not going to tolerate this. This is a public place, and it's supposed to be a peaceful time of year. It's a holy time of year. It should not be a time when people are going to the mall to fight. And so my message to parents would be, don't take your kids to the mall unless you're going to go with them, especially this weekend.”
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