Two violent teenage brawls occurred on Sunday, August 27 that involved multiple officers getting punched, kicked, and even put in chokeholds. The first fight began around 5 p.m. at the South Bay shopping center in Boston. When officers arrived, there were nearly 400 juveniles fighting outside AMC South Bay Center on District Avenue.

“Multiple juveniles failed to disperse from the area and became confrontational with officers,” said the police in a press release. The police attempted to apprehend the juveniles but were faced with resistance, which then led to the juveniles assaulting officers. Multiple stores at the shopping center were forced to close due to the chaos of the brawl. The location’s Target had to stack shopping carts behind their doors to ensure no entry. 

Ultimately, eight teenagers that were involved in the massive brawl got arrested — two age 12, four age 14 and two age 17.

The second fight that broke out involved as many as 150 people. It broke out around 10 p.m. that night outside AMC Theatres, just five hours after the first fight. Officers were called in to break up multiple fights in the area. When they arrived, they were immediately surrounded by teenagers cursing at them and later attacking them.

“An officer was pushed to the ground and was continuously punched and kicked by the group,” the police department said. “A responding officer attempted to help, was also assaulted by the group, a juvenile jumping on the officer’s back and placing the officer in a chokehold.”

“This behavior is not kid behavior — it’s criminal behavior,” Police Commissioner Michael Cox said. Later on, five teenagers were apprehended. The five seized were ages ranging from 13 to 16. In the end, the two massive brawls led to a total of 13 teens arrested. Officers were said to have no serious injuries. Though there is no specific reason as to why these two massive brawls broke out, the cause was likely due to the high activity on National Cinema Day.