BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - Bloomington Police say at least ten people were arrested or cited following a disturbance that spread out over several hours at the Mall of America Monday night.
Deputy Chief Denis Otterness of the Bloomington Police Department said those 10 were arrested or ticketed on various criminal charges, including disorderly conduct, obstructing legal process and giving false information to police. All were juveniles, ranging in age from 12 to 15. Six arrested were boys, four were girls.
The arrests were made by both Bloomington Police and MOA Security, and occurred mainly in a food court area.
Otterness said most of the people who were causing the disturbances were pushed out of the mall by authorities.
Video shared with KARE 11 showed a chaotic scene, with hundreds of young people running and yelling through the mall, and security personnel trying to maintain control.
Cody Bergren was at the mall shopping with his girlfriend when the commotion began.
"She seemed scared. She seemed frightened. You know, she wanted to get out of there," Bergren said. "It kind of deters your thoughts of where you want to go shopping."
The Mall of America released its own statement Tuesday morning. "Mall of America security and Bloomington Police took the appropriate actions to control yesterday’s events immediately so business would not be disrupted," it reads. "The safety and security of our guests, employees and tenants remains our top priority."
Bloomington Police say there were no injuries and no property damage. At this point they aren't commenting on what they believe led to the conflicts.