LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Changes are coming to Mall St. Mathews after weekend chaos forced the mall to evacuate and shut down early.
St. Matthews Police said as many as 2,000 kids were at the mall around 7 p.m. Saturday, when a "sizable number" of them were involved in disturbances -- including running through the mall and stores, fights, and harassing shoppers and police.
There were also reports of shots fired that officers said turned out to be false.
On Monday, St. Matthews Police said their officers met with mall management to address the situation. As a result, the department said there would be some changes to the mall’s policy and rules. Those changes would be made public on Wednesday morning.
“Too many kids are unsupervised,” said Janel Dickenson, the assistant manager of ‘Moochie & Co.’ at Mall St. Matthews. “I’m glad they’re taking into consideration that something does need to change because of what has happened.”
Dickenson said she wants a policy regarding parental guidance at the mall after certain hours -- something several other malls across the country that are owned by the same company as Mall St. Matthews already have in place.
“I think what we need to do is make sure that consumers know that St. Matthews is open for business. We are moving and taking steps to address this issue,” said Michael Chesser, the Executive Director of St. Matthews Chamber Of Commerce.
It was business as usual at Mall St. Matthews on Monday, which is exactly what the town's mayor, Richard Tonini, hoped would happen.
“There was not a single person arrested…There wasn’t a single window broken or anything stolen from anybody. It was just too many kids in one place at one time,” Mayor Tonini said. “I’m sure not afraid of going [to the mall] and I hope no one else is.”
More: St. Matthews Mayor: Chaos at mall likely caused by boredom, social media
Copyright 2015 WDRB News. All rights reserved.
