Concerns rise in Denver about youth violence after troubling scene outside mall
Ty McKay
One witness said this should serve as a wake-up call for parents and the community.
"(My) first initial thought was go help," said Ty McKay, a community youth advocate who witnessed the scene outside The Shops at Northfield.
This video from McKay shows the moments dozens of kids fought each other. Some ran, some hid and others took swings at one another.
"It was a lot going on. It was a lot of fights happening," McKay said.
Though police worked to push teens out of the area, McKay says that wasn't enough -- which is why he stepped in.
"It was myself and two other individuals that hopped out of the car because there was no intervention by the police at all. They were just watching the kids fighting," he said.
In a statement to CBS Colorado, Denver police said no damage was reported, although two small items were stolen from a business. No arrests were made.
"My initial fear was the weapons. I didn't want any kids to be hurt or killed," McKay said.
McKay runs Dream Culture, a nonprofit that works with Denver youth. He says the incident was eye-opening.
"I have an organization, I work with kids, all those kinds of things. So it's one of those things that, you know, you kind of see it in social life. I just didn't want to see the tragedy."
He says this should be concerning for the community.
"There's been a lot of conversation -- not only with me, but with a lot of different organizations, leaders, family members -- about how we can address these things."
Police say they are aware of other planned takeover events and are working on strategies to minimize future disruptions.
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