The 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver is a hot spot for summer shopping, dining and entertainment. May, however, has brought up a familiar problem of violent crimes pervading the walkways of the outdoor mall.
Four assaults took place at the mall in just this past month of May; all of them happened late at night. Late-night assaults at the mall are not new to the Denver authorities. Thirty-four suspects were arrested last year due to their suspected involvement in the 26 violent attacks that occurred at the area mall.
Police note that the more recent May attacks are similar to the previous cases, except for the alleged motivation behind the attacks. Last years attacks were labeled as racially motivated. May’s attacks bear no evidence of racial motives.
One interesting (some might say karmic) twist in the recent Denver mall attacks is that a May 8th victim, Torrence McCall, was arrested for his involvement in a previous mall assault the year before. The police are still trying to find who stabbed McCall.
In order to increase the likelihood of preventing and also solving these violent crimes, Denver authorities are toughening the security around the 16th Street Mall. There will be a stronger police presence in the area, along with technology that is meant to identify suspects and deter future assaults.
Reports claim that in all cases, the assault victims did nothing to directly provoke an attack. Authorities do believe that Denver shoppers can protect themselves by using sound judgment when at the mall late at night. Being extremely aware of your surroundings and not walking outside alone at night will greatly decrease the chance of falling victim to a crime.
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Cops crack down after four assaults on 16th Street Mall in May