Police disperse crowds of youths after a disturbance on the Plaza

Crowds of youths caused a disturbance on the Country Club Plaza on Saturday night.

Police were first called to Cinemark Palace at the Plaza at 500 Nichols Road about 8:15 p.m. Three fights broke out when an estimated 150 juveniles gathered in the area and police asked them to disperse. Police then dispersed about 100 juveniles gathered at 8:47 p.m. in front of P.F. Chang’s China Bistro at 102 W. 47th St. and in the Cinemark area.

On his Twitter account, Kansas City Police Chief Darryl Forte said three juveniles were cited and he expected more citations to be issued. He said there also would be an increase in enforcement.

“Plaza is a great place to visit. Most kids are well behaved. The few disorderly kids stand out,” he tweeted. “We’re going to continue to do everything we can to identify/impact the few deviants while allowing others peace.”

A manager of P.F. Chang’s who was working the kitchen line on Saturday said Sunday that he wasn’t aware of any problems.

In a statement, Glenn Stephenson, vice president and division manager for Highwoods Properties, landlords for the Plaza, said Plaza security officers worked with Kansas City police to disperse the crowd.

“We at Highwoods Properties take the safety of all Country Club Plaza customers very seriously,” he said.

This story was originally published February 16, 2014 at 9:52 AM with the headline "Police disperse crowds of youths after a disturbance on the Plaza."