A Christmas toy giveaway in Detroit, Michigan, devolved into a massive brawl Saturday night, leading to the arrest of one woman, police said.
Police said they arrested a 39-year-old woman for allegedly threatening a 30-year-old woman at knifepoint while inside the building. The 30-year-old victim did not suffer any injuries.
Police say the suspect had been accompanied by her two children when the brawl took place.
WXYZ reports that the brawl took place at the Tower Center Mall on Detroit’s west side Saturday around 7 p.m. after a crowd gathered to attend a toy giveaway for inner-city children.
The toy giveaway was part of a program called Toys Making I.M.P.A.C.T.S, which allowed needy families to join a registry that would enable them to get free toys for their children. Nearly 6,000 people had signed up for the program by the time the event began at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Several hundred people gathered inside the building before the fights broke out. Police said they deployed strike force units to tame the crowd once it got unruly.
The event’s organizer, John Cromer, said he did not intend for his event to become violent.
“People are already under a lot of stress,” said Cromer. “I want to tell you that has nothing to do with toys making impacts.”
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