Teens can no longer fly solo at the Del Amo Fashion Center — at least not after 3 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
The Torrance shopping center, owned by Simon Property Group, began enforcing its new youth supervision policy on Friday, March 1.
The policy, which Simon announced last week, requires minors to be accompanied by an adult who is at least 21 years old after 3 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. One adult will be allowed to walk in with as many as four children, but the guardian will be “responsible for the actions of all of the youth they accompany,” the policy said.
The new policy came in response to large, chaotic brawls at the shopping center in recent months, including one that involved about 1,000 minors. These incidents led to the mall closing early and nearby streets temporarily shuttering.
On Friday, shoppers said the new policy — along with an increased security presence — provided a sense of safety at one of the nation’s largest and busiest malls.
Police cars began arriving at the mall shortly before 3 p.m. Friday. Torrance Police Officers, alongside mall security guards, patrolled the premises. Signs outlining the policy were visible throughout the center.
“This is a good program,” said Palos Verdes Peninsula resident Rainy Li.
Li, who had just finished shopping with friend and fellow Peninsula resident Jackie Zhang on Friday afternoon, is a mother to both a high schooler and an elementary school student.
Li used to rely on her older child to keep an eye on the younger one while she shopped with her friends at the mall. But after hearing about last year’s brawls among teenagers, Li said, she nixed that arrangement.
Li also recalled smelling marajuana in the air and witnessing police making arrests sometime during late-night visits to the mall.
With the new youth supervision program, Li said, she will “feel more at ease” shopping at the mall.
Simon Property Group, for its part, said in a Thursday statement that the program is “an enhancement to our existing security program in partnership with Torrance PD and with support from the City of Torrance.”
“There will be more security and police on hand to help enforce this new policy,” the statement said, “and to provide a pleasant and family-friendly shopping environment.”
When the age restrictions are in effect, adult supervisors, as well as those who appear to be unaccompanied minors, may be asked to present identification confirming they are at least 18 years old. Failure to provide acceptable identification or adhere to the policy will result in individuals being asked to leave the premises, Simon said.
Acceptable forms of identification include a state-issued driver’s license or ID, a military ID, a school ID or a passport with a photograph and date of birth.
The fashion center, Simon said in its statement, “will implement the program “equally, fairly and in a non-discriminatory manner.”
The new policy is intended to stem a trend of unruly incidents among young people at the Del Amo Fashion Center.
In late December, a gathering of 1,000 youth resulted in a brawl at the fashion center. Torrance police arrested three girls and two boys, all of whom live in areas near the city, authorities said. Two additional individuals were injured during the chaos.
Police closed streets surrounding the mall for seven hours while they sorted out the commotion.
Before that, in August, police were called to Del Amo to break up a fight — also involving around 1,000 minors. The police responded after officers on foot patrol noticed a gathering of disruptive teenagers that grew in size and unruliness.
One officer was injured during the melee, prompting Torrance police to request aid from other law enforcement agencies. The mall closed its doors four hours ahead of schedule.
The summer incident occurred on National Cinema Day, when numerous theaters across the country offered $4 movie tickets, including the AMC movie theater at Del Amo.
Witnesses and mall employees reported that the altercation originated at the movie theater before escalating throughout the shopping center.
Zhang was at the mall during that incident. She had just finished watching a movie there with her friends and their kids. The theater locked its doors when the teenagers tried to rush in, Zhang said, so the adults became separated from two of the kids in the group, who got outside before the doors were shut.
“We were very worried because we saw a lot of police outside and blood on the ground,” Zhang said. “I would not want to live through that again.”
Jessica Ruiz, another mall shopper, said on Friday that she learned about the brawls on the news and thought it was good to have “some sort of security like this, just to see how it helps the situation.”
“If they see it kind of taper off,” the San Pedro resident said, “then maybe they can ease back on (the policy).”
David Montes, a lifelong Torrance resident, said he found out about the policy on Friday because he saw a lot of police around the mall.
It’s a good idea, he said, because it’s “safe for the people, safe for the stores and safe for the businesses.”