CHULA VISTA, Calif. — Residents and community members of Otay Ranch said they've had enough of the area's crime, violence, and fights involving children and young adults.
"My friend's son was the latest victim who was jumped at the mall," said Erykah Garrett.
Garrett referred to numerous incidents involving students of nearby schools at Otay Ranch Town Center Mall.
Otay Ranch Town Center was widely known in local Eastlake Facebook groups as a hotspot for after-school fights, theft, and other crimes — minors with backpacks were consistently at the heart of the discussion.
"It seems like the same story keeps repeating itself. A Group of kids jump an individual kid, steals his phone or iPad, and leaves him in the hospital. Most incidents seem to occur in Jack in the Box area," Paul Zoch told CBS 8.
Chula Vista police met with mall officials recently to discuss crime prevention at the town center.
"We're fortunate to have a partner that cares," Chula Vista police Sergeant Anthony Molina said.
Sgt. Molina said the problem lies partly in the fact that employees are calling their store managers instead of the police to report crimes, which increases officers' response times.
"There is a lot of theft happening at stores like Macy's by teens that leave school and want to hang out at Macy’s to steal makeup, jewelry and perfume," Luisa Danielson said.
CBS 8 reached out to Otay Ranch Town Center management, who provided the following statement:
"We are disappointed that we were the location for this terrible behavior and can assure our community that we are taking this very seriously. Otay Ranch Town Center has a robust security program and, as always, will continue to work with our partners at Chula Vista Police Department to prevent this from happening again.
We do not publicly discuss our security protocols that happen behind the scenes because doing so would compromise its effectiveness. However, with our security officers, partnership with PD, and CCTV, people with negative intentions will be caught. We have zero tolerance for this behavior."
Some community members said the fights stem from out-of-school arguments.
"School officials don't care. Just FYI. Some girl my daughter thought was her friend came behind her and started fighting her while others filmed. My daughter fought back in defense. Due to that, she got in trouble," said Tyra-Lee Large.
Tracy Watson, an Eastlake resident, told CBS 8 she's concerned about the entire Eastlake area, not just the Otay Ranch Town Center.
"We don't even take our children to the park really past five o'clock anymore just because of the violence that has happened. People have been shot down there, and this is a nice neighborhood, so it's unfortunate what's going on," she said.
Chula Vista police reported a 17-year-old boy was shot and killed in March 2021 at a park in Chula Vista, and the shooter remained at large.
The shooting was reported at Sunset View Park in the Eastlake neighborhood.
When officers arrived, they found a 17-year-old victim on the ground in the parking lot.
He was taken to Mercy Hospital, where he later died, police said.
Watson said packages, cars, and even holiday decorations are stolen out of the neighborhood weekly.
"Even two years ago, it wasn't like this. It seemed safe and secure. It's kind of a brand-new neighborhood with new development. It was a place you felt like you knew your neighbors and could just let your guard down. But it's gotten progressively worse in the recent year," she added.
Chula Vista police officers are encouraged to work on reports and other items in areas less policed to detour crime and create a presence in the neighborhood, Sgt. Molina said.
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