SCOTTSDALE, Ariz — Audio from 911 calls are now providing a glimpse into the chaos that unfolded in Scottsdale a little more than a week ago when protests turned violent.
Calls from May 30 have been released and are detailing what people witnessed on the ground as others started vandalizing and looting Scottsdale Fashion Square.
Several calls had many calling for help as they detailed what they were witnessing on the ground.
“Rioters just broke the front glass doors to Fashion Square and they’re flooding in right now near Shake Shack, and there’s not a cop anywhere nearby,” one caller told a dispatcher.
Another caller detailed what he was witnessing as people broke into the AT&T store near Scottsdale and Camelback.
“You need police there right now,” The caller said. “They’re breaking down the windows. They’re going to loot the whole store.”
During the night, when the protest turned into criminal acts, images show people trespassing, breaking glass and stealing goods from a variety of businesses in the area of the mall.
Scottsdale police have estimated the damage done to be in the millions.
However, many of the calls released were not from people on the ground but from those watching the events unfold on TV, live streams or through second-hand accounts.
“Why in the world, as a Scottsdale citizen, are the police not doing anything about what is going on at Scottsdale Fashion Square?” One caller asked a dispatcher.
The dispatcher replied to the woman, “Ma’am, I have multiple patrol units on scene trying to control the crowd and we’re doing everything we can. I don’t know why everyone keeps saying we’re not there but we are present.”
Several of the callers believed police presence was non-existent.
“I mean it doesn’t look like there’s anybody there,” One caller told a dispatcher.
That dispatcher told the caller, “It’s probably because there’s a lot more protesters then we have police, but we’re doing the best we can.”
The day after, Scottsdale Police said they knew and were planning for about 50 people to be protesting. But didn’t expect the hundreds of rioters that came.
“We have learned a lot of lessons from last night but the same time, it would have taken an extreme amount of resources to actually wrap that mall with protection at every corner and every entrance,” Scottsdale Police Chief Alan Rodbell said.
So far, Scottsdale Police say through their investigation 26 people have been arrested for a variety of crimes including trespassing, burglary and trafficking stolen property, and they expect more arrests to come.
In total, the department estimated $46,000 worth of items have been recovered.
The video below is of 12 News coverage of the event from May 30.
