The Del Amo Fashion Center and the South Bay Pavilion malls were both quiet through early evening on Saturday after planned takeovers or disruptive gatherings by teenagers failed to materialize, authorities said.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Carson Station and the Torrance Police Department were both on high alert after they received information about separate youth gatherings planned at both malls.
MORE INFORMATION: Law enforcement bracing for possible youth ‘takeovers’ at South Bay malls
Though the gatherings had not panned out, security was very tight at both malls, with minors entering the Del Amo Fashion Center having wrist bands put on under a policy effective March 1 requiring them to be accompanied by adults after 3 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
That policy was put in place after multiple gatherings of teens turned violent in recent months.
At the South Bay Pavilion in Carson, “The Carson Sheriff’s Station and the South Bay Pavilion security team are prepared and have taken positive steps to provide all a safe environment and experience,” the Sheriff’s Department said in a statement on Friday.
It’s unclear where the social media posts about the gatherings originated from. Officials from neither the Del Amo Fashion Center, nor the South Bay Pavilion, could be reached for comment Saturday evening.
On March 16, a 16-year-old boy was shot nearby after a fight broke out among teens who had gathered at the Pike in downtown Long Beach. Two others were arrested after the fight. That gathering, also announced on social media, also prompted a large pre-deployed police presence.
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