Twenty were arrested and two were injured at Ford City Mall, located in Chicago, Saturday night (Feb. 23).
Following an autograph signing event by Mindless Behavior, officials say several teens entered the mall intent on causing chaos.
"Some of the teens ran through the mall. A planter box was broken. One boy threw a wad of about $100 in small bills into the air, causing those nearby to scramble for the cash," Chicago's Sun Times reports.
“I don’t understand what the purpose of that was other than it caused a bit more commotion,” mall general manager John Sarama said of the incident, which began about 45 minutes after Mindless Behavior's event ended.
"More than 100 people, mostly teenagers, started rioting and looting. They were throwing food, breaking things… more than 50 squad cars responded. They had the mall on lock down and then they gradually evacuated the mall with help of mall security," WGN 9 reported.
Even after the mall was evacuated, rioting continued, with some teens jumping on cars and smashing a windshield on one woman's car.
See video footage from WGN9 below:
Ford City Mall was scheduled to re-open for business earlier today.
It was chaos in the parking lot of Mindless Behavior Mall in Chicago this past week. With 20 people arrested and two injured, it’s clear that something serious happened — a riot! Witnesses say they were shocked by what went down and had no idea why it spiraled out of control so quickly. It’s a startling reminder of how easily violence can erupt.
When news broke about the incident on Monday morning, many questions remained unanswered: What caused things to get so out of hand? Who started it all? How did police respond? Now, after days of investigations, an official story is slowly beginning to emerge.
What exactly happened at the Mindless Behavior Mall Parking Lot Riot? We’ll explore the details behind the event and look into why tensions escalated so rapidly. Get ready for an inside look at one of Chicago’s most chaotic scenes in recent memory.
Details Of The Incident
It was a chaotic scene in the parking lot of Mindless Behavior Mall on Friday night as 20 people were arrested and two injured in a riot that broke out. The incident began when police received reports of fighting between groups of people, leading to an altercation which quickly escalated into a full-fledged brawl.
Officers had to call for reinforcements from all over the city to help contain the situation. Witnesses said they heard shouting and saw people throwing punches, kicked one another, and even using items such as chairs and sticks as weapons. Several bystanders expressed shock and fear at what unfolded before them, with some claiming it was “like something out of a movie”.
Authorities took measures to ensure public safety by deploying hundreds of officers to break up the fight and detain those involved. In total, twenty individuals were taken into custody while two others suffered minor injuries during the commotion. Thankfully, no major injuries or fatalities resulted from this incident. It serves as a reminder to be mindful of our actions in public spaces so incidents like these can be avoided.
Aftermath
All in all, the situation was quickly brought under control and those involved have been held accountable for their actions. As a result of this incident, Chicago police are now taking extra precautions to ensure public safety at Mindless Behavior Mall. An increased presence of officers will be maintained and more stringent security measures implemented going forward.
The mall’s management has also released a statement urging visitors to remain calm and respect one another while shopping or attending events at the premises. It is important that people remember that acts of violence such as these cannot be tolerated in any environment, especially when innocent bystanders can find themselves caught up in it all too easily.
Going forward, we should strive to foster an atmosphere of peace and understanding across our city so everyone can feel safe and secure wherever they go. This way, we can make sure that incidents like these never happen again
Conclusion
Paragraph 1:
I was shocked to hear about the mindless behavior mall, parking lot riot that resulted in 20 arrests and 2 injuries. The sheer number of people involved is disheartening, as it proves how quickly a seemingly small situation can spiral out of control. It’s upsetting to think that such an incident could occur when everyone should be protecting each other from harm instead.
Paragraph 2:
The aftermath of this event has certainly been serious, with many people facing charges due to their involvement. This serves as a reminder for all of us to remember our responsibility to act responsibly and respectfully towards one another at all times. We must strive to maintain peace and order no matter what difficult situations we may face in life.
Paragraph 3:
This senseless violence should serve as a wake-up call for us all; we cannot take our safety or the safety of others lightly. If we work together, maybe similar incidents like these can be avoided in the future. Let’s make sure that those affected by this unfortunate event get justice so that they can move forward with hope and healing in their hearts.
