City officials said the Dec. 26th altercation at Beachwood Place should not deter patrons of the upscale mall.

The fight resulted in three arrests, Beachwood Police Chief Keith Winebrenner said. There were no reported injuries.

He explained that officers did not use force.

“Any use of physical force is a last resort,” Winebrenner said.

One individual was taken into custody on the scene, he explained, while the other two arrested individuals were later identified from a YouTube video of the fight.

The video, posted by user Hitman Films, had been viewed nearly 380,000 times at publication. The YouTube user did not reply to a Beachcomber request for comment.

“This was a very isolated situation,” Beachwood Mayor Merle Gorden said.

Mall security officers resolved the disturbance prior to police arrival, Winebrenner said.

“[They] did a real good job of breaking it up and keeping it from getting out of control,” he said, adding that the on-site security force often handles issues prior to police arrival.

Rob Clarke, the mall’s general manager, could not be reached for comment.

Winebrenner said a total of seven police officers responded to the fight, with two of those units arriving within three minutes of the dispatcher receiving the call. There were no officers within the mall at the time of the fight, he said.

Gorden, who also serves as the city’s safety director, said he was “one hundred percent” satisfied with how police handled the incident. Winebrenner concurred.

“It was handled professionally by our police department and mall security,” Gorden said. “I give our team an A+.”

Winebrenner said the dispute between the individuals originated elsewhere and continued into the confines of the mall.

“These people knew each other,” he said. “They happened to see each other [at Beachwood Place].”

What was originally a verbal argument turned into a physical disturbance, Winebrenner explained.

Francine Villanueva, the store manager for the Beachwood Place location of Vera Bradley, a women’s handbag, luggage and accessories store, did not directly witness the fight. However, she was at work while it occurred.

Villanueva said she heard yelling above the store, which is located on the mall’s lower level.

“It was a little crazy,” she said, adding that there had been “small skirmishes” in the food court throughout the day of the fight.

Nonetheless, she said she still feels safe, explaining that there is a sufficient security and police presence at the mall.

“I feel [the mall] is pretty safe,” junior Paul Corty said. “Nothing ever happens when I’m there.”

In Dec. 2010, police responded to a fight at Beachwood Place between several juveniles. However, Winebrenner said the two incidents are not similar; labeling the 2010 disturbance as a “flash mob.”

“That was a planned, organized, staged disruption of the public peace,” he said.

The recent altercation, he explained, was different in that it consisted of a “pre-existing” disagreement between the individuals.

Winebrenner said those that were assaulted were a 15-year-old girl and 16-year-old girl. Those arrested, he said, were a 14-year-old girl, 16-year-old girl and 41-year-old woman. A male store employee attempted to break up the fight.

Winebrenner said he could not disclose the relationship between the 41-year-old and the younger individuals. Attempts by Beachcomber staff to contact the woman were unsuccessful.

The arrested girls were sent to juvenile court, while the woman, whose case is still pending, has a hearing set in June at the Shaker Heights Municipal Court.

The woman was arrested on counts of inciting violence, disorderly conduct, inducing panic and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to the court’s public online database.

The database states she has plead “not guilty” to all four counts and has no active warrants.

Gorden said he feels people should not be hesitant to shop at the mall.

“In my opinion, Beachwood Place is a very safe place,” he said.

However, he said he still feels shoppers should be vigilant.

“People need to be aware of their surroundings,” Gorden said.