A file photo of The Shops at Northfield. By Steve Larson

A large crowd of 300 teenagers came to The Shops at Northfield on Sunday evening June 22, entering businesses, causing disturbances, and getting in fights.

Denver Police District 5 officers were alerted ahead of time to the “Takeover Northfield” event, which was organized on social media. He spoke about the planned event at the monthly meeting of the Central Park United Neighbors on June 17.

Lt. Kevin Hines told Front Porch after the disturbance that there were officers in the area in “anticipation of the gathering.” As the evening went on, he said, the crowd grew to about 300 people.

The teens were seen moving through the mall, entering various businesses, causing disturbances, and getting in fights. Due to the size of the crowd, additional officers and resources were dispatched to help with crowd control.

Hines said several stores closed early and mall management was on site to help officers. It took about four hours to disperse the crowd.

No arrests were made, Hines said, but some merchandise was “displaced” and “a couple” of cans of bear spray were taken from Bass Pro Shops.

Hines said there were no reports of property damage or injuries. He added that the police are not aware of additional gatherings scheduled for Northfield, but there have been social media posts about similar events at various places around the metro area this summer.