FAIRLAWN – The Summit Mall closed a half hour early on Thursday after a series of fights broke out inside and in the parking lot.
Authorities say several arrests were made and officers were injured in the melee.
Fairlawn Police Department said in a social media post that there was “a surge of unsupervised juveniles” at the mall Thursday afternoon resulting in “general disorder and altercations among the juveniles.”
Officers from the Summit County Sheriff’s Office and Bath and Copley police departments provided assistance to Fairlawn officers to break up fights and clear the mall.
Sheriffs spokesman Bill Holland said Thursday night that 20 juveniles were arrested in the incident.
While trying to break up the fights and clear the teens, Holland said, deputies were assaulted including one who had to be treated at scene by the Fairlawn Fire Department.
The charges filed against the teens include: trespassing, obstruction of justice, disorderly conduct and felony assault on a peace officer.
The mall was scheduled to close at 6 p.m., but instead shut down at 5:30 p.m., police said.
Police said many online discussions are circulating misinformation, and “there were no significant incidents.”
“Claims of gunfire, active shooters or other violent acts being shared online are unfounded and irresponsible,”Fairlawn Police said.
Some mall stores were reportedly forced to pull down their security gates to keep the teens out.
