3 Teens Arrested After Fights, Disturbances At Trumbull Mall: Police

TRUMBULL, CT — Three teens were arrested and crowds of other juveniles were expelled from theWestfield Trumbull mall Saturday evening after several large disturbances broke out at the shopping center, including fighting and disorderly conduct, according to police.

In a news release, Trumbull Police Lt. Brian Weir said officers were called to the mall around 5:30 p.m. after receiving several reports of a large fight involving knives.

Although police were unable to confirm any weapons were involved, officers found large crowds of juveniles throughout the shopping center, many of whom were "disorderly, loud, disruptive and interfering with the general public" shopping inside the mall, Weir said.

As officers began to escort some of the people involved out of the mall, more disturbances broke out at other locations inside the building, Weir said.

Due to the large number of juveniles creating disturbances throughout the shopping center, additional officers were requested to regain order inside the building, Weir said.

Greater Bridgeport Transit buses were also sent to the area to provide transportation away from the mall for those involved, however many of the juveniles remained at the mall for several hours despite officers' efforts, Weir said.

Many of the juveniles repeatedly circled back into the building after being expelled, however order was ultimately restored with assistance from Bridgeport and state police, Weir said.

Three Bridgeport teens, ages 13, 14 and 15, were arrested and charged with breach of peace when they refused to leave the area and began fighting near shoppers and officers in the mall's food court, as well as fighting with officers, Weir said.

The 15-year-old also spat on a trooper assisting with crowd control and was additionally charged with assault on an officer, Weir said. All three teens were later released to the custody of their guardians with a promise to appear in court later this month.

Ssimilar disturbances have occurred in recent months at the mall, specifically around holidays, when juveniles get together in large groups for long periods of time, Weir said.

According to Weir, recent meetings between town officials, police and the mall's new managers have established a new cooperative working relationship and they will soon discuss how to best address this reoccurring issue.

"In recent talks with First Selectman [Vicki] Tesoro, we have agreed that we will remain in close contact with mall management on any issue impacting public safety and the mall security," Trumbull Police Chief Michael Lombardo said in a news release. "We look forward to working together with them to resolve these issues and to provide additional officers for security purposes. These officer will remain as a visible deterrence for those who want to disrupt other shoppers.” The chief and first selectman meet regularly to discuss issues related to public safety and any specific locations of concern, including the mall."

Trumbull police will be reviewing the appropriate response to these incidents and are also encouraging mall managers and security guards to enforce the property's code of conduct, Weir said.

"This is a large facility that attracts large crowds of teenagers every weekend," Lombardo said. "Conflicts are bound to occur at times, so we will dedicate whatever resources are needed and respond when necessary."