An unsettling portrait of Emeryville emerged on National Cinema Day after continuous turmoil broke out near the city's AMC Theater at Bay Street mall, involving the congregation of over 300 teenagers who were called to the area via social media. The chaos resulted in multiple fights, a stabbing, and a temporary closure of the theater according to Betty Yu of CBS Bay Area.

 

🚨 Emeryville Police: multiple fights broke out involving 300 juveniles near AMC Theater at Bay Street mall around 5 pm.

Police said the call to congregate was put out on social media.

1 shot was fired, no one injured. A juvenile was stabbed, non life threatening injuries. pic.twitter.com/Z1jQvjtsn0

— Betty Yu (@bett_yu) August 28, 2023

 

On August 27, 2023, an Emeryville Police Department report detailed how officers received a call at around 4:30 p.m. from a business in the Bay St. Mall about a group of around 50 young people causing a disturbance inside the store. The crowd grew substantially over time, with hundreds of young adults eventually joining the crowd. Multiple fights broke out, and officers requested assistance from neighboring law enforcement agencies to quell the disturbance and stop the brawls. A gunshot was reportedly fired just before 6:00 p.m., narrowly missing injury.

An hour later, a juvenile was reportedly stabbed near Elm Street during the chaos and taken to Highland Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, as per ABC7 News. Out of the hundreds of teenagers involved, only one juvenile was arrested. The incident, which also temporarily closed the AMC Theater, coincided with National Cinema Day, where movie tickets were being sold for just $4.

 

Mass evacuation at @BayStEmeryville as @EmeryvillePD requests Code 3 cover (lights & sirens) due to reports of 100+ juveniles fighting. @BerkeleyPD @CHPoakland @oaklandpoliceca rushing to scene. @berkeleypolice reported shots fired, leading to 11-99 officer needs help response pic.twitter.com/59ZlWp3y3k

— Henry K. Lee (@henrykleeKTVU) August 28, 2023

 

Witness Brenda Valladares expressed astonishment at the lack of parental supervision in the vicinity, stating, "What were they doing here unsupervised without their parents?", ABC7 News reported. The incident spread to a nearby Target store, where teens were witnessed pulling items off shelves, creating disorder, and shoplifting. Although police have not confirmed the connection between the incidents, they acknowledged a "link up" posted on social media that originally called the mass of young people to the Bay Street Mall.

Emeryville law enforcement urges anyone with information about the numerous confrontations that unfolded that day to contact the Emeryville Police Department, Criminal Investigations Section at (510) 593-3700 or [email protected].