ORANGE PARK, Fla. — Monday, Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook issued a statement about an incident at Orange Park Mall Saturday.
A disturbance caused by groups of teenagers, the Sheriff's Office said Saturday, forced the mall and the AMC movie theater to close. Monday, Cook said deputies are committed to keeping the community safe, and "we will not allow incidents like this to define who we are as a community."
According to witnesses, fights broke out and someone yelled "he has a gun" outside the movie theater Saturday night.
"Some people just started screaming and running," Sarah Piscitello said.
Piscitello, her husband and their three young children were waiting for employees to scan their tickets when she said chaos broke out near the ticket line outside.
"We went to the back of our theater was and there was an exit door on the side, and I knew our car was parked nearby. So, I figured I'd peek through the door and make sure there wasn't anything funny going on out there. And luckily, there wasn't, so we were able to quickly exit and get to our car," she said.
The Clay County Sheriff's Office said there was no shooting, but the theater and the mall closed for hours while deputies cleared the crowds.
"It's really sad because I grew up going to this mall. I brought my prom dresses from there. We just celebrated my birthday in June there. We rented out a theater. So, I've never felt unsafe there, but there's always been news stories," Piscitello said.
In August of 2021, shots were fired near a carnival in the parking lot of the mall. The carnival and the mall closed early. No one was injured and the person who fired the shots was taken into custody.
In December of 2021, hundreds were evacuated from the mall after a fight between two juveniles near the food court. Deputies said there were no injuries.
According to Cook, they've seen a decrease in crime since the start of the Gateway to Clay Initiative last year, a partnership between the sheriff's office and local businesses.
Some people at the mall Monday, like Andra Bridges, think more needs to be done.
"A curfew is needed for teenagers after a certain hour, a certain time, because I just don't think teens should be hanging out any and everywhere any time of night, and it just opens the door for teens to get themselves in trouble," Bridges said.
First Coast News reached out the the Orange Park Mall and asked about security precautions the mall takes, and if it is considering a curfew.
"The safety of our guests, retailers and employees is our top priority," the spokesperson responded.
FCN is waiting to hear back from AMC. FCN also requested the calls for service for the mall from the sheriff's office and is waiting to hear back.