The kids may not be alright, but the cheesecakes survived a spiraling brawl that grew so out of control at Aventura Mall Saturday night a movie theatre was evacuated and several nearby stores and restaurants were closed early.
16 people were arrested, a dozen of them juveniles. Police say the fight between rival groups of young people broke out in the AMC 24's box office area just after 10 p.m., and then spread inside.
Mall security called police because of the large and unruly crowd, and hundreds were evacuated from the theatre, making the scene even more chaotic.
"I was walking out of the movie theater and I saw hundreds of people screaming and running towards me," wrote Alexandra Feurerma, a high school senior and contributer to CityofAventurablog.com, to the Miami Herald. "Throughout the mall, everyone was just screaming and running around. The police got everyone out of the mall and outside and they wouldn't let anyone in.
"There was literally a stampede of people running towards me at the movie. I had to stand against the wall so I wouldn't get hurt."
Six people were arrested at that point, which caused a disturbance and even more fighting among bystanders. Officers corraled the crowd in a parking lot near the Cheesecake Factory and Bloomingdale's, where the brawl continued.
Additional arrests were made, with police using tasers to those resisting and several officers were struck. Others reported minor injuries.
Local
The incident required assistance from police departments in North Miami Beach, Golden Beach, Sunny Isles Beach and Miami-Dade County.
