FORT SMITH (KFSM)— A violent fight at Central Mall is caught on camera. It involves two girls under the age of 18.
The video above is graphic and could be disturbing.
“The child was trying to walk away,” said parent Eric Williams. “She did not want to fight this girl. She was kicked. She was beat. She was chased. She was humiliated. That`s going to leave a scar, and more than just a physical scar.”
Williams said another parent sent him the shocking video, which he decided to share on Facebook on Wednesday (Jan. 4).
“Most of the responses were from parents that were concerned that these kids were at the mall by themselves and there was no supervision,” he said.
Fort Smith Police arrested the suspect on a third-degree battery charge.
“I think the worst thing is in our society is if you were there, you thought it was a better idea to film this other than intervene and stop, that's what's disturbing to me,” said Sgt. Daniel Grubbs.
Williams said he has two kids who are almost teenagers. He said he won’t let them go to the mall alone until they are older. He said he shared his concerns with police and mall security.
“They told me they were going to take measures to implement some more policies to prevent this in the future,” Williams said.
He also added he would like to see more of a police presence.
“It’s their responsibility to make sure that customers are safe,” he said.
Last week, four teens made national headlines after allegedly beating and torturing a disabled man on Facebook Live. Crimes documented on social media are sparking more conversation.
“It's sickening to me,” Sgt. Grubbs said. “We're in a generation that's desensitized to violence.”
The video will be used as evidence in this case, according to police.
Grubbs said they get an average of about one call per month regarding some type of fight at the mall. Three arrests have been made in the last two years.
Mall officials declined to comment on the video of the fight.