Brawl At The Mall: Orland Square Fight Caught On Video

ORLAND PARK, IL — A fight that broke out at Orland Square Mall on Saturday evening had a crowd of people watching, or joining in.

A video shared on Facebook showed the group of youngsters piling up on each other, as security came along to try and stop the fists from flailing. The video has since been removed from Facebook, but not before it was shared and viewed thousands of times.

Chief Joe Mitchell, of the Orland Park Police Department, said once officers arrived at the mall, they were able to get the situation under control very quickly. All the participants involved were minors. Eight were arrested and charged as juveniles. Police do not believe the fisticuffs to be gang related and a majority the participants were accounted for. A few were treated at the scene for minor injuries, but there were no transports to the hospital.

Asked what the preventative steps Orland Park police were taking to prevent future teen fights and misbehavior at the mall, Mitchell said "we've taken proactive measures in the past and will continue to do so in the future."

Rush Darwish, who most recently ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic primary in the third Congressional district, shared the video on Facebook after a relative who owns a business at the mall recorded it. Darwish said he shared the video with the intent to warn shoppers if they planned to head over to Orland Square. He said he removed the video after racist remarks were left by commenters.

"While some people commented on the actual fight that took place between kids with no parental supervision, a good portion of the comments on the thread were infested with deeply racist, prejudice, and hurtful statements towards my brothers and sisters in the Black Community," Darwish wrote. "I honestly believed I can use this moment as an opportunity to challenge some of the trash they were saying with facts but myself and some of the other woke folks were no match to the barrage of hate that dominated the conversation."

The video was removed on Sunday morning. Darwish said several activist and elected officials reached out to him asking the video be taken down. He said in 2021 he wants to continue to work hard at removing "systematic racism that plagues our neighborhoods."

"In moments like these, what’s most important is to learn and listen," Darwish said. "I learned how deeply divided this country is between the human race and the racist race."

Check back for updates on this developing story.