SEATTLE — Brief panic ensued at Southcenter Mall on Saturday afternoon when a large group of teenagers ran out the door at the same time, alarming other mallgoers and employees and sparking fears of a potential shooting. Police say it may have been instigated by YouTube star Deshae Frost.
Frost, 18, who has more than 1.1 million subscribers on YouTube, posted he was going to hold a meet and greet at Southcenter Mall yesterday. Police say 400 to 500 people showed up in response, and that's when things got out of control.
Tukwila police provided KIRO 7 with this statement:
"There was a large group upwards of 500 kids between the ages of 12-18 mostly, without any adult supervision or guardians that ran from the food court out the west doors, then back inside the mall en masse. We had reports from bystanders that some of the kids running towards the west doors were shouting there was a shooting. We do not know where he is from. Kids told us that he is from Seattle but lives in LA now."
Some stores closed their gates in response, and police arrived to aid with crowd control. There are videos posted by Frost on Instagram showing the moments kids started running through the mall and crowding around him in the parking lot.
Tukwila police also said that its Major Crimes Unit is investigating the incident.
We are dealing with a large juvenile problem at the mall. A large group fled out the doors all at the same time causing alarm to passerby’s and employees. The group has dispersed.
— Tukwila Police (@TukwilaPD) March 10, 2019
The mall is open. Some stores closed their gates when they saw a large group of kids running out the door which caused alarm. Outside agencies responded to assist to control large crowds leaving.
— Tukwila Police (@TukwilaPD) March 10, 2019
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