5 arrested, 2 injured after hundreds of kids cause disturbance at Del Amo mall in Torrance

TORRANCE, Calif. - Five people were arrested after a crowd of roughly 1,000 children caused a disturbance at the Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance Saturday night, according to officials. Two people, including a police officer, were also injured. 

Reports of the disturbance came in shortly after 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Images from SkyFOX showed dozens of police cruisers in the streets surrounding the mall. Large groups were also seen exiting the mall and walking down the sidewalk. Several streets surrounding the mall were closed for seven hours while police responded.

The person and officer who were injured were treated at the scene.

Those arrested, three girls and two boys, were from the nearby cities of Hawthorne, Los Angeles, Gardena and Compton, Torrance police spokesman Sgt. Ron Salary said in a statement early Sunday, while the address of one was unknown.

Torrance police said that the unruly crowds spread to more than 30 businesses in the mall, but no instances of looting were reported. 

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"We have entered a very sad state when youth visit our community and cause harm and havoc," Torrance Mayor George K. Chen said in a statement. "Crimes committed by youth or adults that are pre-planned and organized to loot and destroy property are not acceptable. Our criminal justice system must address these crimes so we don't have these events repeated without serious consequences.

"We can and must be better. The coordination and response from our police department and their regional partners is appreciated by our Torrance community."

City News Service contributed to this report.