New teen curfews take effect Monday at 2 Montgomery County malls

WHEATON, Md. - Some major changes are coming to two Montgomery County malls that could upend your teen's after-school plans starting Monday.

Westfield Malls has implemented similar rules in California and New Jersey, and now new teen curfew policies are going into effect in Montgomery County, Maryland, at both Westfield Wheaton Mall and Westfield Montgomery Mall. 

The restrictions are broad, but the company says the policy is meant to cut down on after-school chaos that has been happening lately.

RELATED: Two Maryland malls to implement 3 p.m. juvenile curfew

Here is what you need to know about the new rules:

The age restriction kicks in at 3 p.m. seven days a week. Teens 17 and younger must be accompanied by an adult who is at least 21 years old. Adults cannot supervise more than four teens at a time, and mall security can ask patrons for identification.

The company says the policy is happening because of recent serious security incidents, though mall patrons have mixed feelings about the changes.

Recent issues include an incident this past July when a 17-year-old was charged as an adult after shooting and injuring a 13-year-old boy in Wheaton Mall near the kids zone. An armed security officer detained the alleged shooter until police arrived. In February, nine teens were arrested for stabbing another teenager inside a bathroom, and on Christmas Day last year, more than two dozen stores were burglarized, with Montgomery County police stating some suspects were juveniles. At Westfield Montgomery Mall earlier this summer, a fight involving students broke out where someone showed a gun, alongside other reported shoplifting cases, burglaries, and assaults.

Westfield says there are exceptions for teens who work at the mall. The company's website notes there could be adjustments to these restrictions during the holiday shopping season. People who violate the policy could be charged with trespassing.

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