Fox Valley Mall Fight: Brawls Prompt Massive Police Response, 7 Arrests (Updated)

AURORA, IL — Several fights in the Fox Valley Mall among a large number of teens sent people running for the exits as police poured into the mall Monday night and made seven arrests. The mall was temporarily shut down. Twitter users posted videos showing people running down escalators and screaming as many police officers attempted to break up the brawling.

One fight took place in front of the Macy's store in the mall. Witnesses said several fights then erupted, and people ran to join the scuffles. Employees at the mall said they saw multiple fights with large numbers of teens involved but could not estimate the number of fighters. The fights began around 6:30 p.m.

Police said some teens were throwing bottles from the upper tiers of the mall. One police officer was punched in the face.

Several Fox Valley police agencies joined Aurora Police in response. More than six dozen officers were on scene. Police were stationed at all mall entrances. The call for police assistance went out at about 7:15 p.m. The mall was evacuated at 7:30 p.m. and closed for about an hour.

A mall in suburban Cleveland, Beachwood Place, was shut down for the night after a fight broke out in a food court Monday night. Police responded with tear gas or pepper spray and a lockdown was in place. Another in Garden City, New York, resulted in a mad dash for the exits and injuries. In Elizabeth, New Jersey, shoppers panicked when a chair thrown in a fight made a noise that sounded like a gunshot. An 8-year-old girl was hurt.

As many as a dozen malls across the nation experienced fights and disruptions on the day after Christmas, including malls in Colorado, Arizona, Tennessee, Ohio, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey.

This is a developing story. Refresh this page for updates.

Photo credit: Fox Valley Mall