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Police Respond To Mob Of Unruly Teens Near Emeryville's Bay Street Mall

EMERVYVILLE (CBS SF) -- For a second Saturday in a row, police dispersed a large crowd of unruly teens who had gathered at Emeryville's Bay Street Mall and in the surrounding neighborhood getting into fights and causing some vandalism.

A witness to the unrest told KPIX 5 it looked like a battle zone.

"Two groups got into and were engaged in a fight, a battle," the witness said who did not want to be identified. "No guns, no knives, but a battle."

Emeryville police said the crowd began gathering at around 4:10 p.m. near the 5600 block of Bay Street. After initially dispersing as officers arrived, the crowd regrouped and grew to over 200.

Soon the teens were blocking traffic on Shellmound St. and officers from the Oakland Police Department responded to assist. The crowd gradually dispersed.

Local stores closed early and there were reports that a liquor store had been looted. There were no reported injuries or arrests.

It was the second weekend in a row that a large group of juveniles had gathered in the area. Last weekend, officers from the California Highway Patrol and the Oakland Police Department also were called in to assist.

Emeryville Police Lt. Fred Dauer said that several fights broke out the evening of Sept. 13th between the juveniles at the Powell Street Plaza. No one was seriously injured. Dauer said the large crowd grew larger as the evening progressed, eventually moving to the Bay Street center.

"The subjects were intent on fighting each other," Dauer said.

He added that vandalism occurred at the IT'SUGAR candy store at Bay Street. One motorist whose vehicle was stopped near the crowd was slightly injured when a juvenile managed to steal his cell phone.

Dauer added that officers saw one or two juveniles carrying stun guns and another juvenile brandishing a machete.

Portions of 40th Street and Shellmound Street were closed for two hours during the initial disturbance.

Anyone with information regarding the two incidents was asked to contact the Emeryville Police Department's Criminal Investigations Section at (510) 596-3700.

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