Cheektowaga police tell 7 Eyewitness News, they ejected between 80-90 teens from Walden Galleria Christmas night, including a 14-year-old who returned with a loaded handgun.
The chaos that ensued at the Galleria Christmas night and the following day was part of a nationwide trend of "mall brawls" or chaotic scenes involving large crowds of teens fighting and wreaking havoc loosely organized via social media.
Assistant Chief Jim Speyer with the Chceektowaga Police Department says this isn't a new trend and that his department pre-planned to increase their presence with six additional uniformed officers.
"What's going on nationally has happened here for the last several years," Speyer tells 7 Eyewitness News.
Speyer says this year the department partnered with the NFTA to bring in a bus to take the unsupervised minors home to no avail.
In all, Cheektowaga police made 10 arrests for disorderly contact and trespassing Christmas night, including the 14-year-old found with a hand gun.
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