Law enforcement personnel arrested and charged multiple juveniles on Saturday evening following fights that broke out at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City.
Officials said that the incident caused the mall to be evacuated and quickly shut down early by about two hours. The three youths who have been taken into custody were reportedly charged with assault, obstruction of justice, and riot.
Juveniles Arrested and Charged With Assault
The next day, the mall seemed to have gone back to normal, but the ACPD said that there was an increase in patrols in the area to monitor the situation. Two residents, Greg and Reshma Jones, said that the Fashion Centre was one of their favorite malls in Pentagon City.
The couple noted that they typically brought their two kids, aged 13 and 14, with them to spend some time together and look for things they could buy. They said that the recent incident was disheartening, especially when they heard of similar others that happened within the mall, according to WUSA9.
Reshma said that the violence most likely affected the business of the mall itself and impacted how these establishments can survive and remain open while keeping customers safe. On the other hand, Greg said that they had been living in the area for two decades now and called the incident an unfortunate development.
Arlington County Police revealed that shortly after 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, they were called to the Fashion Centre Mall at Pentagon City. This was reportedly due to several fights breaking out simultaneously in the food court. Witnesses said that about 100 to 150 teens formed a crowd around the fights, stood on tables, and recorded the brawls on their phones.
Brawls at the Fashion Centre
When police saw the incident, they called in additional personnel, and the ACPD said that it decided to close the mall and evacuate the building. The agency said that the crowd of teenagers remained disorderly and the fights continued while they were there, WJLA reported.
Police said that one of the arrested suspects, a 13-year-old girl, ignored officers' commands, pushed another officer, and resisted attempts to detain her. She allegedly continued to struggle but was later taken into custody.
The other arrested suspect, a 15-year-old girl, was taken into custody after she reportedly assaulted a store employee, an officer, and mall security. The last arrested individual, a 14-year-old boy, reportedly attacked an officer and resisted being arrested. Officials later discovered that the boy had a knife, as per NBC Washington.
