A Saturday evening at Louis Joliet Mall turned chaotic when a large disturbance involving groups of teenagers broke out, leaving two youths in police custody and shoppers rattled, according to Joliet police. Witnesses reported several skirmishes flaring up around the mall as staff and security scrambled to separate groups, while many teens bolted for the exits once officers arrived. Police said they are still working to piece together what sparked the clashes.
Officers were called to the mall just before 6 p.m. after reports of a large group causing trouble inside, according to NBC Chicago. The outlet reported that multiple fights had broken out and that two male teenagers were detained and charged with disorderly conduct.
Joliet Police Department spokesman Sgt. Dwayne English told The Herald-News that officers were advised "that multiple fights were occurring" and that both before and as police reached the scene, "numerous juveniles fled the area." The paper reported that officers arrived at about 5:51 p.m. and estimated that roughly 50 juveniles were involved in the disturbance.
Mall Policy And Local Context
Louis Joliet Mall has previously rolled out youth-supervision rules aimed at cutting down on large unsupervised teen gatherings during busy periods. Those guidelines require minors to be accompanied by an adult on certain weekend evenings, according to earlier coverage. ABC7 Chicago reported that the policies were introduced to limit unsupervised teen activity during high-traffic weekend hours.
Investigation Ongoing
Police have not released the names of the detained juveniles and say the investigation into what led up to the disturbance remains active. As of the most recent update, NBC Chicago reported that authorities had not provided any additional details.
