LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A suburban Louisville mall reopened Sunday with extra security, a day after closing early when throngs of unruly teens caused disturbances.
The night before, up to 2,000 teens created mayhem at Mall St. Matthews as the shopping center was filled with post-Christmas shoppers.
Officers from four police agencies responded to numerous reports of fights, harassment of customers and store employees and other disturbances, said Officer Dennis McDonald, a spokesman for suburban St. Matthews police.
As the mall closed early about 8 p.m. Saturday, teens tried to prevent some businesses from shutting their doors.
No arrests were made, but “it wasn’t for the lack of criminal activity,” McDonald said Sunday.
“We were largely outnumbered, and our focus was on restoring order and dispersing the crowd,” he said. “And we were focused on the safety of patrons and of our fellow officers. Certainly, if they were assaulting innocent people, police would have made arrests.”
Police received reports of gunshots fired but could not confirm whether shots were actually fired, McDonald said.
Minor injuries were reported from people being pushed down or shoved, he said.
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