AURORA | Police on Tuesday continued to investigate a series of fights and chaos at Town Center of Aurora Mall Monday night, including new allegations that a group of people jumped on a police car.
Investigators are asking for the public to provide them with photos or videos of the incursion-like event, which police said involved up to 500 people, mostly juveniles and young adults.
“Detectives are particularly interested in obtaining photos and videos that show criminal activity such as fighting, assaults, and property damage,” police said in a statement.
Five juveniles were arrested after the incident, including teens involved in a fight in the food court and a teen who police say tried to punch an officer.
Three of the teenagers, girls, appeared on 9News Wednesday and denied fighting or resisting the mall officer after the melee started.
Aurora police Sgt. Chris Amsler, a spokesman for the department, said the incident started when an officer spotted two teenage girls fighting in the food court. The officer was off duty but working security in full police uniform at the time, Amsler said.
“There wasn’t any mistake that this wasn’t a police officer,” he said.
When the officer tried to arrest a 13-year-old girl involved in the fight, the girl resisted, Amsler said, shouting profanity and other insults at the officer.
The girl’s 16-year-old sister then intervened and tried to stop the officers, as did a 14-year-old friend. All three were later arrested.
As the loud scene unfolded, a massive crowd of about 100 people surrounded the officer and refused commands to back up, Amsler said.
Worried about the crowd, the officer called for assistance and several dozen officers rushed to the scene.
A 15-year-old boy was arrested in the parking lot outside the food court after police say he tried to punch an officer.
Another 15-year-old girl was arrested on a disorderly conduct charge but Amsler said he didn’t yet have details about what that girl is accused of doing.
Police did not release the names of anyone arrested because they are all juveniles.
Amsler said officers also discovered a police cruiser was damaged and are investigating reports that someone in the crowd had climbed on top of it and jumped on it.
Detectives are also combing social media looking for a Facebook post that reportedly said there was going to be a large fight at the mall, Amsler said. Police have not yet found that post but believe it was part of the reason there were so many juveniles at the fracus. Police said that at one point, they estimated about 500 people in the mall were there because of the Facebook posts and in some way involved in the melee.
“We’re assuming the majority of them just went there because they heard there was going to be a fight and they wanted to watch the fight,” he said.
It’s unclear if the incident was gang related but Amsler said investigators are looking into that possibility.
The incident at the Aurora mall was one of several similar chaotic scenes that happened around the country Monday, but Amsler said police don’t believe there is a link.
Police are asking anyone with information about additional fights or people damaging a police car to call Detective Eric White at 303-739-6011.
The mall was evacuated and closed Monday evening following the incident but reopened at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
Amsler said there will be additional police patrols at the mall in the coming day and said mall officials have cooperated with police.