As the Dallas Morning News reported earlier this week, rumors of NorthPark Center gangs were revived after an attack last week — which didn’t even happen at NorthPark.
A 17-year-old boy was attacked by a group of men in the Sports Authority parking lot across the freeway from the mall. The victim fled to NorthPark afterwards, though. Sgt. Israel Herrera with the North Central Division says the report isn’t clear about why but assumes he may have parked his car there.
Around this time last year, we reported on rumors about gang activity at the mall circulated among concerned parents, but police said there was no evidence to back up the claims. And they’re saying the same thing this time.
“I’m a parent, and I know that a lot of times we have our children’s best interests in mind,” Herrera says. “But [in this case] parents are jumping to conclusions. There have been rumors in the past that we have debunked.”
So far, police have found no indication of gang activity at the mall. In fact, crime in and around NorthPark dropped by 6 by percent in 2011 compared to 2010. Last year, there was one aggravated assault, and seven robberies of individuals.
