It was the weekend after Christmas and all through the malls, many people were stirring – and most of them in food courts.
Three separate malls – Sacramento, California's Arden Fair Mall, Chicago Ridge Mall in Illinois and the Opry Mills Mall of Nashville, Tennessee – were each the site of arrests after brawls broke out in their food courts.
The weekend's first brawl, in Sacramento, erupted Friday night when 18-year-old Oscar Armendarez was taken into custody for resisting arrest, along with another 17-year-old boy. As a result, Arden Fair Mall was shut down early.
"A whole bunch of people got up and started running, and everybody was fighting, and the security officers [were] tackling people," mall patron Kelcie Acuna told NBC Sacramento affiliate KCRA. The incident occurred on the two-year anniversary of a previous fight at the mall's food court.
Meanwhile, Saturday in Chicago Ridge, a skirmish in the food court forced the evacuation and early closure of the entire shopping center. Unconfirmed reports suggested that there were shots fired, though no one was injured and no arrests were made, Chicago Ridge Mayor Chuck Tokar told the Chicago Tribune.
Finally, on Saturday night, witnesses said that around 150 teens were involved in a brawl at the Opry Mills Mall that began – yes, once again – near the shopping center's food court before spilling out into its parking lot. Two juveniles were taken into custody, and after police managed to get the crowd under control, shoppers were asked to vacate the premises.
A representative from Opry Mills Mall has reached out to PEOPLE with the following statement: "There were not 150 people in a brawl as noted [by witnesses]. There were three separate altercations last night with a few teens directly involved ... There were many onlookers, which gave the perception of a larger incident. Police escorted the unruly participants out, but the mall was not vacated."
Most importantly, and despite the handful of arrests, no serious injuries were reported from any of the fight locations.
Happy holidays, everyone – and perhaps the next time you go shopping, bring along your own sandwich from home.
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