A shopping trip is supposed to be the usual part of your routine. But for at least one shopping centre in South Carolina, it turned briefly into something more like a stunt show – and the footage is now all over the Internet. By the time the commotion was over, there was a shattered kiosk, a fallen cell phone, and a mop that ended up in more control of the crowd than its operator could have imagined.
Myrtle Beach police, South Carolina, were called to Coastal Grand Mall at around 10:54 a.m. On Wednesday, June 17, following calls about a dirt bike that was being ridden indoors.
On social media, a video clip shows two teens racing a motorcycle between the shoppers as they scramble to make way in the indoor passageways. One bystander in a blue shirt can be seen nearly pulling one of the teens off the bike by the back of their shirt before the other rider lost control and slammed the bike’s front wheel into a kiosk.
Footage from the scene also appears to show a mall employee swinging a mop at one of the teens as they tried to run on foot, briefly slowing him down before officers closed in.
Both juveniles were arrested, and the dirt bike, along with a cell phone dropped near the kiosk, were retrieved by officers.
One juvenile was arrested for damaging property and disorderly conduct, and the other was charged with reckless driving, damage to property, and resisting arrest.
Police say both were returned to the custody of their parents, as per WMBF News.
An estimated $750 damage was caused to the kiosk, but no one sustained injuries in the mall, though several people who were walking through were almost struck.
Internet Reacts to South Carolina Mall Dirt Bike Chaos
Reactions to the video have ranged from disbelief to concern about how close the situation came to something far worse.
“Parents are probably at home not caring what they are doing or knowing what they are doing,” one commenter wrote. Another pointed out the math didn’t add up: “These kids aren’t the brightest because whatever trouble they would’ve gotten in for riding a dirt bike in the mall would be less than the cost of the bike itself.”
“Imagine getting caught by a mop after outrunning everyone else,” a third commenter joked.
Others focused on the danger involved. “This could have seriously injured innocent people. Glad nobody was hurt,” one wrote, while another added, “This is insane. People could’ve been seriously hurt. Where is the accountability??”
The video has gained significant traction due to its setting: a contained, highly populated store open during regular hours, being permeated by a dirt bike navigating among the customers.
Employees at the store expressed fear over their own well-being as events unfolded, with an employee named Viorica Grigoras telling WMBF News, “I’ve never seen something like this. It’s incredible, and it’s terrifying, of course, because you’re afraid to come to work.”
