nbc33tv.com
The scene was chaotic Saturday outside of the Mall of Louisiana after reports of fights breaking out in the food court.
Call it an instabrawl.
Scores of youngsters arrived at the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge on Saturday over a Instagram-related gathering that led to a series of fights that forced police to shut down the shopping center, according to reports.
Witnesses told The Advocate newspaper that many of the youth arrived for an innocent “meet and greet,†during which users of the photo-sharing network could get to know other followers. Authorities say the fighting took place in the second-floor food court just before 6 p.m.
Nick Brown, 17, of Baton Rouge, said there was no plan to cause violence through the meetup, which was initially shared through online posts.
The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office said people may have been there initially as part of a flash mob announced via social media.
Up to 10 people could face criminal charges in the fighting, which may involve as many as 200 juveniles, a sheriff’s office spokeswoman said. Incredibly, no serious injuries were reported.
Authorities say there’s evidence that could lead to the arrest of the person who started the fighting. At least four juveniles were nabbed, Col. Lawrence McLeary told NOLA.com.
The scene was chaotic as frantic parents rushed to the mall to ensure their children weren’t harmed.
Reports on social media of someone with a gun turned out to be false.
The Mall of Louisiana was back to business on Sunday. A similar incident a year ago involved two teens getting wounded from gunfire.
With News Wire Services
No comments:
Post a Comment