Crime
The pillow fight gone awry was one of two assaults reported at the mall Sunday evening, Providence police confirmed.
Patrons stroll at the Providence Place mall in January. Lane Turner/Boston Globe Staff
Two teenagers were arrested at the Providence Place mall Sunday after they allegedly assaulted a mother and daughter who told them to stop engaging in an “aggressive pillow fight” in the middle of Macy’s.
Providence police responded to the mall at about 5:07 p.m. for the reported assault and met with a woman and her daughter, one of whom appeared “visibly beaten in the face and bleeding from either her nose, above her left eye, or both,” according to a partially redacted report.
Police said the pair were walking through the home goods section at Macy’s when they came across a group of juveniles “having an aggressive pillow fight in the middle of the store,” the report states.
They told the teens to stop and “be thoughtful,” according to police, but the group allegedly became verbally aggressive and followed the mother and daughter into a bathroom, where the argument escalated.
The mother told officers she saw her daughter pulled “down to the ground by the hair before she, herself, hit the floor,” the police report states. Emergency medical personnel treated the mother and daughter for their injuries, according to the report.
Providence police arrested two 14-year-olds — whose names were redacted from the report — in connection with the incident and charged them with simple assault or battery, among other counts.
The pillow fight was one of two assaults reported at the mall Sunday evening, police confirmed. Officers were still in the mall security office for the Macy’s incident when two other women arrived around 5:46 p.m. and reported that six unknown people “jumped” them in the bathroom following a verbal altercation, according to a separate police report.
One of the women said she “tried to clear things up” but was struck “in her left temple with a closed right hand causing [her] head to ‘bounce’ off the tile wall,” the report states. The other woman said she took several punches to her side trying to break up the melee, according to police.
Both women refused medical care, police said.
Sarah Dell, a spokesperson for Providence Place, said the mall is aware of the two reported assaults and remains in close contact with investigators. Providence Place has increased its onsite security presence and continues to evaluate further measures “to support a positive, family-friendly environment and respond quickly when issues arise,” she added.
“Incidents involving violence or disruptive behavior are concerning and not reflective of the experience we want for our guests,” Dell said. “The safety and wellbeing of everyone at Providence Place remains our highest priority.”
Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between.
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