Eastfield Mall says incident is isolated

After more than 20 people caused a fight inside the Macy's store in Springfield, Eastfield Mall says the disturbance is an isolated incident.  

It all started Saturday night, just minutes before 8 p.m. when according to Springfield Police more than 20 people started a fight.

“There was an incident that took place with a group of kids inside of Macy’s.  Luckily there was very minimal damage and no injuries,” said Jillian Gould, Eastfield Mall’s senior marketing manager. 

When police arrived the crowd was nowhere to be found.  According to the police report, a Macy's representative told police that, during the fight, an estimated $300 worth of jewelry and store fixtures were damaged.  

The incident comes one year after the Eastfield Mall revised its youth escort policy; which called for adult supervision after 5 p.m., for all teenagers under the age of 16.  Now, the mall's code of behavior policy asks all patrons to avoid walking in large groups as it could disrupt the flow of foot traffic.  

But Gould told 22News its security team could not have avoided the incident because Macy’s is its own entity; the mall's security officers don't service the store.  

“They own their own building and they control all of the operations inside of that building.  It's not Eastfield Mall property. On an average day we do trust the teens that are here and value what they are spending here at the mall.  It's an isolated incident which doesn't normally happen with the youth that shop here at the mall,” Gould told 22News. 

So far, Macy's has not returned our call for comment.