ORANGE PARK, Fla. — The Clay County Sheriffs Office says several groups of teens were fighting and causing disturbances shortly before 7 p.m. on Saturday.
A viewer sent a video to First Coast News showing police surrounding the Orange Park Mall that evening.
Shopper, Shirley Davis, says she tries to avoid shopping at the mall on the weekends for this very reason.
“Recently I haven’t even been going to the mall on Saturdays because the kids be acting a little too wild for me. Even when the mall closes at 8 p.m. it's just still a little too much for me and I try to avoid it at all cost,” said Davis.
Sheriff Michelle Cook sent First Coast News a statement saying:
"We continue to work with our business community, elected officials, and the community to keep Clay County and the Orange Park Mall safe. This remains my priority. Off-duty deputies working security at the mall and our on-duty patrol units quickly responded and handled the disturbance, which was caused by a few unaccompanied juveniles. Any further questions about Mall security should be routed to the Orange Park Mall General Manager."
The Orange Park Mall also sent a statement saying:
"At Orange Park Mall the safety of our guests, retailers and employees is our top priority. Our team immediately implemented safety protocols and is working closely with Clay County Sheriff's Office . We take a holistic approach to safety with industry best practices, camera surveillance and other modern security procedures. Any activity that threatens safety will not be tolerated. We take these issues very seriously. We will continue to partner with local law enforcement 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All visitors of the mall are required to adhere to our code of conduct, which is posted at all entrances and on our website."
First Coast News has covered multiple stories involving altercations at Orange Park mall. One in September forced the mall and the AMC movie theater to close down.
For Davis, she hopes that these fights stay off the mall’s premises.
“The mall already closes at 8 o'clock, so it’s like they are ruining it for themselves the thought of fighting and stuff. Like act like human beings and act like y'all have class," said Davis.
The mall says they will continue to partner with local law enforcement 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The mall says it's important for the community that if you see something say something.