A mall security guard at the Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance has been fired and may lose his license after video of him driving recklessly in a company car for a cheering crowd of young people began circulating on social media.
It’s unclear when exactly the guard, employed by Allied Universal Security and stationed at the Torrance mall, put on the show, but video of the incident was posted to Instagram by south.bay.responders on Saturday.
According to that Instagram account, the incident unfolded on mall’s parking structure rooftop at around 11:30 p.m., with the guard speeding, doing donuts and making sharp turns around other parked vehicles all while blaring Kendrick Lamar’s “They Not Like Us.”
Footage of the incident obtained by KTLA shows the guard also giving someone a ride during the sideshow, presumably so the passenger could capture video from inside the car during the stunt.
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Security seen driving recklessly on the rooftop of a mall parking structure in this undated photo. (IG: ZTEXXY) -
Security seen driving recklessly on the rooftop of a mall parking structure in this undated photo. (IG: ZTEXXY) -
Security seen driving recklessly on the rooftop of a mall parking structure in this undated photo. (IG: ZTEXXY) -
Security seen driving recklessly on the rooftop of a mall parking structure in this undated photo. (IG: ZTEXXY) -
A person seen driving a vehicle up a steep flight of stairs at a mall in Torrance in this undated photo. (IG: ZTEXXY) -
A person seen driving a vehicle up a steep flight of stairs at a mall in Torrance in this undated photo. (IG: ZTEXXY)
Other parts of the video also appear to show a different person driving a vehicle up a steep flight of stairs on the mall’s property.
It’s not the first time the Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance has made the news for rowdy teenagers causing mayhem at the mall.
In Aug. 2023, officers with the Carson Police Department responded to the mall, located on West Carson Street, on reports of a “large group of juveniles” fighting. A few months later, in March of this year, word of another flashmob at the mall prompted a heavy showing of police and private security at the mall.
Management at the mall had already instituted a chaperone policy requiring anyone under the age of 18 to be accompanied by an adult over the age of 21 on Fridays and Saturdays after 3 p.m. in response violent fights, smash-and-grab robberies and general mayhem.
This time, however, at least part of the problem was caused by one of the mall’s contract employees.
“The behavior of the Allied Universal Security (AUS) guard in this video is unacceptable,” a spokesperson for the Del Amo Fashion Center told KTLA in a statement. “His employment has been terminated. Please refer any further inquiries to AUS.”
Safety advocates and community groups are now calling for stronger background checks and standards for security guards across Southern California.
In response to KTLA’s question, Allied Universal Security issued a statement reading in part:
“The behavior in the video is in direct violation of company policy and wholly inconsistent with what we expect from our team members. As a result, the security professional is being terminated immediately and reported to California’s licensing agency.”