CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. — The arrest of a 17-year-old boy following fights at the Walden Galleria Tuesday night is part of a pattern of incidents at the mall over the past several years.
Fights or disturbances involving large groups of teens and young adults have happened each of the last three years during the week after Christmas according to an analysis by 2 On Your Side. The story is similar even further back.
Local police, private security, and mall management have all tried to address the situation.
Pyramid Management Group which owns the Galleria implemented a parental policy in February of 2022.
It requires all individuals under the age of 18 to be accompanied by a parent or guardian from 4:00 p.m. to close 7 days a week. Posters stating the policy are posted at each mall entrance although stores with exterior entrances are excluded from it.
Mall management has not responded to 2 On Your Side about Tuesday's incident.
The 17-year-old would have been violating the parental policy if he was not with an adult but it's unclear what enforcement is like. Management warns on their website: "All guests should be prepared to show valid identification (with picture and date of birth) such as a driver’s license, state identification card, military ID, passport or visa."
2 On Your Side heard and saw yelling, screaming, and people running from police Tuesday night around 8:00 p.m. near the mall entrance by P.F. Chang's. Cheektowaga Police Chief Brian Coons said police responded earlier than that.
New York State Police and NFTA Police assisted CPD.
Chief Coons said kids baited officers into chasing them and started fights. He added that no injuries were reported.
Many more people who were told to leave the mall were uninvolved in any disruption from what 2 On Your Side witnessed.
Last December, Cheektowaga Police responded to a series of fights involving 15-20 people at the Galleria, and on December 26, 2021, two people were arrested for the same.
The Buffalo area hasn't been the only place where fights at malls have become more commonplace. Near Rochester last night, police near the Greece Ridge Mall responded to a series of disturbances and fights.
One individual was detained but then released to their parents.
That mall has temporarily implemented an age-limit policy similar to the Galleria, as they too try to stop these things from happening.