19 juveniles, 1 adult arrested in Douglasville mall brawl, police say

DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. (CBS46) – There are concerns that kids, with no parental supervision, are misbehaving at a metro Atlanta mall. The local police department said it plainly on their social media that parents need to take care of their children.

The bold statement from Douglasville Police follows a massive fight that broke out at Arbor Place Mall over the weekend.

Douglasville Police tell CBS46 they’re aware of the brawl that was captured on cellphone video. Police say they are actively investigating. But in a long post on social media, police are holding parents accountable and not mincing words.

Part of their message reads, “Mall security and theater security are not there to raise your children.”

In the post that has hundreds of comments from the community, police also tell parents to watch who their teens hang out with because, “A seemingly innocent situation can turn negative as seen over this past weekend,” police wrote.

Rhonda Garrison and many others at the mall on Wednesday say they agree with the police and that the mall can’t babysit teens.

“I used to go to the movies with my kids, shopping with my kids. They never went alone,” said Rhonda Garrison of Douglasville.

This isn’t the first time violence has erupted at Arbor Place Mall. Two years ago, gunshots rang out inside. A 14-year-old named Bella was Christmas shopping with her aunt. No one was hurt, but she remembers hearing the gunfire.

“We were like all rushing to that bathroom and a bunch of people surrounding you and we went to the bathroom, and we hid there for a while,” said Bella, while shopping with her mother on Wednesday.

Arbor Place has security on site. Police say the movie theater has its own security as well. The mall also has what it calls a Youth Escort Policy (YEP) posted on its website. It states if you’re under 18, you can’t visit the mall after 4 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays unless you’re with a parent or guardian who’s over 21.

Since the incident, Douglasville Police say they have arrested 19 juveniles and one adult in connection to the incident. The mayor of Douglasville says that the fight broke out over a TikTok video.

CBS46 reached out to Arbor Place Mall management for comment but they did not respond before the publishing of this article.