March 20, 2026
By Rachel Scofield

A coordinated gathering of teenagers drew an estimated 200 to 250 juveniles to businesses along the Hill Road and Refugee Road corridor March 14, prompting a multi-hour response from local law enforcement.

An Instagram user, “2grimey2getslimed,” promoted the event, advertising a 5–8 p.m. “takeover” of Get Air and encouraging others to “bring everybody.” The post was shared more than 2,000 times.

“A takeover is when there is a coordinated effort, usually organized through social media, to have a large group of people assemble at a particular date, time and location to engage in disruptive behavior,” said Pickerington Police Commander Greg Annis. “These occur all over the United States.”

Police say the trend is concerning because large groups can quickly overwhelm businesses and outnumber responding officers.

The Pickerington incident involved “kids ranging from 13 to 16 years old,” Annis said, adding that those detained came primarily from the west side of Columbus, the Hilltop, and neighborhoods off Livingston Ave. west of I-270.

After being removed from Get Air, the “turbulent and disruptive” crowd moved through other nearby businesses before officers were able to disperse the group. Most juveniles left on their own, while those detained were released to their parents.

Timeline of Events

5:44 p.m. Get Air called and reported a large group of juveniles were causing problems, and they were shutting the business down except for the guests of a scheduled birthday party. Officers who arrived on scene had dispatchers contact Kroger and Rule 3 to warn them about the large group of juveniles in the area.

5:58 p.m. Kroger called requesting the removal of multiple juveniles from their store. At 6:15 p.m., the store had been cleared out. No charges were requested. 

6:29 p.m. Giant Eagle called and advised that there were 100+ juveniles at the store who were acting disruptive.  

6:31 p.m. The Pickerington Police Dispatch received a call concerning a large group of juveniles running back and forth across Hill Road North near the intersection of Refugee Road.

6:45 p.m. Officers made a traffic stop on a vehicle that was blocking the road at the intersection of Windmiller Dr. and Refugee Rd. The car had several teenagers. It was found that the driver of the vehicle did not have a valid license and was charged appropriately. The juvenile’s parents were contacted and responded to the scene and took custody.  

6:48 p.m. Officers were called to McDonald’s to remove several disruptive juveniles.

6:52 p.m. Officers were called to Rule 3 to remove an estimated 50+ juveniles who refused to leave. During this call, a missing juvenile (entered into the National Crime Information Center by the Columbus Police Department) was detained. His father was contacted to come and pick him up. The father refused to come get his son because of his being so “disruptive at home.” The juvenile was later released to his mother.

7:30 p.m. Officers responded to Wendy’s/Tim Horton’s to remove approximately 50 juveniles from the lobby.

8:18 p.m. Officers were called back to Giant Eagle in reference to three juveniles riding scooters through the store and throwing potato chips at employees. The three juveniles were detained, and their parents were called to pick them up. These juveniles were from the west side of Columbus.

8:20 p.m. Officers were called to BP to remove three to four juveniles who were acting disorderly. No charges were requested, management just wanted them to leave.

8:44 p.m. Officers were called back to Rule 3 to remove multiple teenagers who were loitering in the parking lot since they were refused entry into the business.

8:57 p.m. Officers were called to Pizza Cottage to remove 8-10 juveniles who were being disruptive.

9:31 p.m. Officers were called to the 1300 block of Brookview Circle regarding approximately 10 juveniles who were preparing to fight. The crowd was dispersed.