A second suspect has been arrested in connection with the brawl that broke out between rival gangs inside and outside the Hot Topic at Capital City Mall, police said, as investigators continue working through warrants issued after the September melee trapped shoppers inside the store.
The fight erupted around 4:50 p.m. on Sept. 19, when officers were dispatched to the Cumberland County mall after reports of a confrontation involving at least 10 people, according to PennLive. Video reviewed by investigators showed multiple adults and juveniles fighting both inside and outside the store, according to abc27, which reported that the clash caused a major disruption to the mall as innocent customers became trapped inside a store. Mall security ultimately deployed pepper spray to break up the groups, the station reported.
Police said the fight involved rival street gangs, and Local21News reported that officials identified the groups as 1900PG/TTK and 30boyz. PennLive's account, citing an affidavit, traced the start of the confrontation to a hostile conversation between Zamir Edwards, 20, and Markale Williams, 20, of Harrisburg. Mall security told PennLive that eight males were already fighting by the time officers tried to intervene.
Four Adults Identified, Felony Riot Charges Filed
Investigators identified four adults in connection with the fight: 24-year-old Janye Chisolm, 20-year-old Zamir Edwards, 19-year-old Samir Dyson-Stewart, and 20-year-old Markale Williams, according to abc27. All four were charged with riot, simple assault, disorderly conduct and harassment, the station reported, and police filed the felony riot charges because of the fight's seriousness and public disruption, according to officials. A Lower Allen Township police record posted to CrimeWatch states that warrants were issued for all four, and that Chisolm, Edwards, Dyson-Stewart, Williams and numerous other juveniles were involved in the fight outside and inside Hot Topic.
Under Pennsylvania law, riot is classified as a third-degree felony when a person participates with at least two others in a course of disorderly conduct carried out with specified criminal or coercive intent, or when a participant uses or plans to use a firearm or other deadly weapon, according to the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
Arrests Trickle In Over Five Weeks
The arrests have come in stages since the September fight. Dyson-Stewart was taken into custody on Oct. 13, according to Local21News. PennLive reported that Edwards posted bond on Sept. 30 and that he and Dyson-Stewart were scheduled to be arraigned on Dec. 21.
Lower Allen Township police records list Chisolm's warrant as served on Oct. 26, his arrest date.
Second Arrest Reported; Two Warrants Remained Active
Local21News reported that Dyson-Stewart was arrested on Oct. 13 and that Williams had an active warrant. A Local21News report on a second arrest identified Janye Chisolm as the suspect arrested; police accused Chisolm of participating in the Sept. 19 fight involving at least 10 people at the Hot Topic inside Capital City Mall.
Police have not released information on injuries from the fight, and the evidence reviewed does not establish the identities of the juveniles involved or whether juvenile cases have been filed. No court dispositions, pleas or sentencing outcomes for any of the adult defendants have been reported.
