7 Teens Busted, Cop Hurt As Brawl Closes Hamilton Mall (Video)

Seven teens were busted and a cop was hurt in a brawl that shut down a New Jersey mall this weekend. Chairs and other debris were thrown in the food court area (see the video below).

Several fights happened during the day, the last one involving as many as 200 people around 8 p.m., which prompted the mall to shut down. The mall reopened at its regularly scheduled time on Sunday.

Police were first dispatched during the late afternoon on Saturday when they received a report of a fight that had been publicized on social media, police said. Several small altercations occurred in the same area and one teen was arrested for disorderly conduct, police said.

Later in the evening, police received reports of large groups of juveniles and young adults gathering in several areas of the mall, with a large group locating in the food court area, police said.

When security attempted to escort groups of juveniles out of the Hamilton Mall for disorderly conduct, chairs and other debris were thrown in the food court area, police said. Additionally, multiple individuals began to engage in several fights.

Five juvenile males and two adult males were arrested as a result of the incident. The adult males, Amir Vaughn, 18, and Theron Parrish- Jordan, 18, both of Mays Landing, were charged with disorderly conduct.

Charges for the five juvenile males included disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. One Hamilton police supervisor was assaulted which resulted in him sustaining a minor injury during the altercation.

The supervisor was treated at AtlantiCare Hospital and released. Additional charges are pending further investigation.

Some eyewitnesses who were scared by what they saw contacted The Press of Atlantic City and posted updates on social media, saying store employees throughout the mall rushed to close and lock their doors as the fight broke out.

“Every cage went down for every store and security guards were telling me that I was going in the wrong direction and they were visibly scared,” Mays Landing resident Christine Vint Miller told The Press. “(I) Kept telling them I need to get to my daughter and Friends....And there they were... Watching from the second floor as the police came in and arrested teens on the first floor. Outside, the ambulances and police were endless.”

Here is the video:

The fight and how it was handled drew negative reaction on social media.

Several agencies assisted and responded for the request of mutual aid. These agencies included the New Jersey State Police, Egg Harbor Township Police Department, Egg Harbor City Police Department, Galloway Twp. Police, the Twp. of Hamilton Rescue Squad, and AtlantiCare Paramedics.

The incident is currently under investigation and additional charges are pending for anyone identified as being involved in the incident. Anyone with information or who has video of the incident, please contact Det. Perna at 609-625-2700 x 542 or send us the video through Facebook messenger.

YouTube photo/video