YouTube Star Sparks Stampede At Seattle-Area Mall

TUKWILA, WA - Deshae Frost has over 1.1 million subscribers on YouTub, and apparently a majority of them showed up at the Westfield Southcenter Mall near Seattle on Saturday to meet him.

Frost's meet-and-greet at the mall triggered a stampede of fans, which in turn caused non-Frost shoppers to assume that there was a mass shooting underway. Police from around the region swarmed the mall before figuring out what had happened.

"We are dealing with a large juvenile problem at the mall. A large group fled out the doors all at the same time causing alarm to passerby’s and employees. The group has dispersed," Tukwila police wrote on Facebook about the incident, which happened around 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

It appears Frost inadvertently caused the stampede when he tried to leave the mall, his attorney said in a statement. The crowd at Southcenter was larger than Frost expected.

"As promised, Mr. Frost showed up [Saturday] to Southcenter Mall for a meet and greet which was larger than expected. As the crowed continued to grow and intensify, Mr. Frost quickly left Southcenter Mall as he began to fear for his own safety. To be clear, it was never his intent to incite a riot. He is deeply disturbed by some of the rumors associated with his meet and greet," attorney Cleodis Floyd said.

Southcenter is one of the largest malls in the Seattle area, and has had a history of shooting scares - and real shootings. On Feb. 19, Tukwila police reported that a gun went off in the mall, causing a brief lockdown. In August 2017, the sound of two men trying to smash a glass case at a jewelry store forced the mall into a lockdown. In November 2008, two teen were shot at the mall, and one later died.