Shoppers at Brooklyn’s Kings Plaza on Tuesday were surprised to see a sharp increase in NYPD security a day after a TikTok challenge reportedly called for chaos, with potentially hundreds of teens due to converge there.
Dozens of cops were stationed at every entrance to the shopping mecca throughout the day on Feb. 17. Security guards stood at the ready, even stopping groups of young people from entering the premises together. Inside, more officers could be seen patrolling the storefronts.
Some teens were spotted arriving wearing masks, but left minutes after seeing the cops.
“I don’t think anything is going to happen; we are here as a deterrent. They will see us and walk the other way,” one cop told amNewYork.
The officer was referring to a social media event that promised scheduled pandemonium. Dubbed “takeover,” the TikTok challenge invited hundreds of teens to descend upon the mall and cause what can only be described as a riot. This was just one of a whole list of “takeovers” scheduled every day this week.
One day earlier, the Plaza Mall, located at 200 Baychester Ave. near Co-Op City in the Bronx, played host to one of these takeovers, during which glass windows were shattered as an estimated 500 youths flooded the area, running amok. Police made some 18 arrests during the viral incident that saw the crowds push cops.
“We are on top of it today. It is only after it is too late that someone says something. Someone could have been seriously hurt,” another cop told amNewYork on Tuesday.
Shoppers themselves say they were surprised to see the army of officers patrolling the mall. Raven Blue was spending the afternoon shopping with her niece and said she heard about the situation in the Bronx late Monday afternoon.
“I feel better with the cops here, because these kids are out of control. When the kids get out of school, they don’t know how to get home straight away, so they come to the mall. You’ve got to have the cops because you don’t know what will happen next,” Blue said.
Public schools are closed this week for the traditional mid-winter recess.
A Florida tourist, who gave her name as Lisa, told amNewYork that she was shocked to learn what had happened in the Bronx and even more stunned by the number of law enforcement officers in and around the mall. Still, she said a bunch of teens assaulted a bus driver minutes earlier as she rode the B9 to the mall.
“Five kids get on, harassing everybody, just screaming insanity. The bus driver tells them to get off the bus. He opens the door for them to exit. They pick up a piece of ice and hit him with it,” Lisa said. “I just got off, and I see 20 cops.”
A worker at the mall, who gave her name as Elena, told amNewYork that she is concerned because the malls also see many young children flocking to their stores, making her worry that they, too, could get caught up in the frenzy.
“It’s really bad. Especially because usually the cops are only here like two times a week,” Elena said.
