Baltimore County residents express safety concerns after juvenile disturbances near mall
Neighbors in White Marsh are asking Baltimore County leaders to do more to crack down on juvenile disturbances at shopping centers.
At a monthly Police Community Relations Council meeting in White Marsh on Tuesday night, many neighbors shared their concerns about public safety near the mall following chaos that led to several juveniles being arrested last Saturday.
"I think there needs to be some accountability, and parents need to step up for their kids," Parkville resident Dawn Shank said.
Neighbors said they hoped for more answers, and they are concerned it will continue to happen as the weather gets warmer.
"Didn't really think there was a whole lot of resolution," Shank said. "There was a lot of lip service. Didn't really hear any results."
Multiple teens arrested near White Marsh Mall
Several of the teens are facing charges, which include assault, trespassing, and disorderly conduct, after police broke up what they called "disturbances" near White Marsh Mall.
Baltimore County police said the incident was the result of a pre-planned "link up" on social media, similar to several other meetups over the weekend. The mall in Salisbury, Maryland, along the Eastern Shore, closed early because of the disturbances.
The Baltimore County Police Department said it saw the post last Friday, which called young people to the mall on Saturday.
Because of that post, police said they planned and staffed the area accordingly. The department says during the incident's peak, there were 17 officers at the mall to disperse the juveniles.
On Monday, WJZ obtained video taken at the scene that was shared by the Turnbull Brockmeyer Law Group.
The department said there were reports of juveniles committing a robbery and assault, as well as circling patrol cars and standing on top of cars.
"When they commit crimes, and they do the things like they were doing, the unrest and the craziness, jumping on cars and all that, they should be taken into custody. There should be charges," Baltimore County resident Sue Nestor said. "There should be something, whether, if they're too young or whatever, parents need to be held accountable for what happens."
Police are still looking for more information about the meet up and any potential crimes committed during the incident.
Efforts to stop juvenile disturbances
WJZ's camera was not allowed inside of Tuesday's meeting, but some neighbors said they want more done to hold young people and their parents accountable.
Baltimore County Councilman David Marks said the issues involving juvenile disturbances extend beyond his district in White Marsh.
"Part of the issue is that this is not just a Perry Hall White Marsh issue" Marks said. "These kids are coming from Edgewood, from Towson, from Rosedale, other places, and it's going to be, quite frankly, beyond me, to develop those solutions."
The White Marsh Mall and its adjacent shopping center "The Avenue" have unaccompanied minor policies. At "The Avenue," an adult needs to always accompany anyone under 17. At the mall, minors need to be accompanied after 5 p.m.
"We just need to enforce it, and we need to make sure that the mall security is taking a good look at that, so that we don't have these kind of outbreaks the way we're seeing now," said Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger.
Shellenberger also expressed concern about potential changes to juvenile crime laws during the Maryland General Assembly.
He said he is advocating for more services to support juveniles and their families. However, he disagrees with a bill that would limit which crimes could be charged in adult court.
