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Emeryville councilmember says unfortunate emphasis on luxury housing over public safety
In Emeryville over the weekend, fists were flying, and a gun was fired when large crowds of young people swarmed a mall. Police called neighboring agencies for backup to restore order. One city councilmember says this violence is a symptom of an unfortunate priority on luxury housing in our cities over public safety.
EMERYVILLE, Calif. - Videos online show the moment a gun goes off amid crowds of teens and young adults during a chaotic melee at Bay Street in Emeryville.
The shooting happened at about 6:20 p.m. Sunday as hundreds of people were milling about, some of whom engaged in fights, police said.
Emeryville police say they didn't find any suspects or victims in the shooting.
The shot was fired even as police were already on scene trying to deal with an unruly crowd.
The shooting led a Berkeley police dispatcher to say "We're calling everybody."
The California Highway Patrol, Oakland police and Alameda County sheriff's deputies also rushed over to help.
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Fights, stabbing amid unruly crowd at Emeryville mall
Police said that hundreds of young people desceneded on the Bay Street mall, which led to multiple fights and a stabbing.
Even with the heavy law enforcement presence, a teenager was later stabbed and wounded at the mall. The victim was taken away in an ambulance.
The AMC theater, featuring $4 movies as part of National Cinema Day, shut off movies and ordered people to evacuate. Mallgoers waited in line to leave in their cars as police converged on scene.
Police say it all began when a smaller group of teens began bothering some of the shops at Bay Street. Some began fighting.
It took several hours for the crowds to fully disperse. Some ended up at the nearby Target, where sheriff's deputies responded to keep the peace.
Emeryville City Councilmember Kalimah Priforce said the city needs to shift its priorities.
"Better prepared, better cameras, better surveillance, better ways of being able to protect our local businesses," he said. "Unfortunately, we place more emphasis on luxury-rate market apartments in our cities than we do on our public safety."
Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan.