CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WKBW) — Calls between dispatch and police and firefighters following a stabbing Sunday night at the Walden Galleria show an increasingly tense scene.
“Cars to the Galleria…be advised, fire just reported that this male has a stab wound on his back," a dispatcher can be heard saying shortly after 6 p.m. Sunday, according to a recording of dispatch calls by Broadcastify.com. "He is unresponsive.”
Cheektowaga police said they received a call from mall security about a "male [who] was having difficulty breathing after a dispersed fight inside the lower level of the mall concourse."
The dispatched calls indicate this happened just outside the Urban Outfitters store near the Regal movie theater.
U-Crest firefighters arrived at the scene and found a 17-year-old with what turned out to be a stab wound to his back.
“Do you have PD on location on this?" a firefighter asked dispatch. "I’ve got mall security guards. Kid said he was jumped by 12 kids.”
Police can be heard asking for more cars to be sent to the mall, and dispatchers trying to help them.
POLICE: “Can we have a couple more cars here?”
DISPATCH: “Any car that's not on anything right now, head to the mall. They're gonna need more cars at the mall.”
The victim was taken by ambulance to the hospital, where he is listed in stable condition.
As of Monday night, no arrests have been made.
The region’s largest shopping mall is no stranger to police incidents.
On December 26, 2024, the day after Christmas, there was a large police presence at the Galleria. Police told us at the time that the police presence was not in response to a specific incident but rather a coordinated effort to sweep the mall at closing time, based on previous incidents on Boxing Day.
According to the mall’s policy, any visitors under 18 must be accompanied by an adult 21 or older after 4 p.m.
Cheektowaga police asked anyone with information about the stabbing to contact their detective bureau at 716-686-3510.
