Police respond when teens gather at mall, suddenly run out

Published 1:30 am Sunday, March 10, 2019

Associated Press

SEATTLE — Police in a city south of Seattle say a large group of teens and young adults entered and then suddenly fled a mall and the chaos may have been sparked by a social media posting.

KOMO-television reported that the gathering early Saturday evening at Tukwila’s Southcenter Mall drew a large police presence. No one was hurt in the incident.

Detectives say the crowd gathered at the urging of a post on YouTube.

A large number of young adults suddenly ran for the exits, prompting fear that there might be a shooter or other threat.

Some stores closed their gates when they saw young people fleeing for the exits.

Police say the person posting the invitation to gather did not have a permit for an event or ask permission from the mall.