City takes aim at trouble teens by mall 3.15.11

WISH TV

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Police arrested three teens this weekend at the Circle Centre Mall — two for possession of a handgun, and another for disorderly conduct.

It’s the latest crackdown downtown since an outbreak of violence the past two months.

In January, two teens were shot near Panera Bread at the mall, and in February two young men were shot in front of a bar downtown.
Prosecutors say police know there are two gangs hanging out at the Circle Centre Mall, and the city plans to hold parents accountable for what their kids do there.

The city’s plan is not as simple as picking up a teen causing trouble and calling their parents. Prosecutors say this is an investigative process. They have a list of problem teens, and with police, they target each troublemaker.

“One pool is the folks that have been involved in the shootings, the other is the kids that have been trespassed from the mall but keep coming back,” said City Prosecutor Helen Marchal.

Prosecutors are armed against mall violence. They can file a tort claim, public nuisance violation, or civil ordinance violation against parents.

However, parents cannot be arrested for what their kids do at the mall. Prosecutors say they have not yet gone after any parents since Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard announced the plans to hold them liable during his State of the City address last month.

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