Since the Westminster Mall’s more than 40 interior shops closed in late October, the Westminster Police Department has received more than 400 calls about trespassing, vandalism and other illicit activity, with 54 people being arrested on the property now in a holding pattern awaiting redevelopment.
The bulk of the arrests were this past weekend, police spokesperson Andy Stowers said. Over just two days, 30 people were arrested for vandalizing the mall.
“I think the videos are making people want to go,” Stowers said. “It’s pulling on our resources.”
Over the past few weeks, multiple videos posted onto social media show people trespassing onto the property at Bolsa Avenue and Goldenwest Street off the I-405. The footage shows graffiti-strewn walls, shattered windows and planters and soil toppled onto the carpeted floor.
Alexis Malatesta, a long-time Huntington Beach resident, said she’s been keeping up with the emerging footage and news coverage of the mall she once frequented. But she’s not surprised by its defacing.
“It was just a matter of time,” she said, adding that when she saw the first video posted, “I knew it was over.”
The Westminster Mall in Westminster, CA, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. Over the last few weekends vandals broke in to the shuttered mall, covered it in grafattii and destroyed the interior. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Workers install fencing around the north and east sides of the Westminster Mall in Westminster, CA, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. Over the last few weekends vandals broke in to the shuttered mall, covered it in grafattii and destroyed the interior. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Workers install fencing around the north and east sides of the Westminster Mall in Westminster, CA, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. Over the last few weekends vandals broke in to the shuttered mall, covered it in grafattii and destroyed the interior. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The Westminster Mall in Westminster, CA, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. Over the last few weekends vandals broke in to the shuttered mall, covered it in grafattii and destroyed the interior. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Workers install fencing around the north and east sides of the Westminster Mall in Westminster, CA, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. Over the last few weekends vandals broke in to the shuttered mall, covered it in grafattii and destroyed the interior. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Workers install fencing around the north and east sides of the Westminster Mall in Westminster, CA, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. Over the last few weekends vandals broke in to the shuttered mall, covered it in grafattii and destroyed the interior. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Workers install fencing around the north and east sides of the Westminster Mall in Westminster, CA, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. Over the last few weekends vandals broke in to the shuttered mall, covered it in grafattii and destroyed the interior. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Downtown Los Angeles can be seen over The Westminster Mall on a clear day in Westminster, CA, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. Over the last few weekends vandals broke in to the shuttered mall, covered it in grafattii and destroyed the interior. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Workers install fencing around the north and east sides of the Westminster Mall in Westminster, CA, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. Over the last few weekends vandals broke in to the shuttered mall, covered it in grafattii and destroyed the interior. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Workers install fencing around the north and east sides of the Westminster Mall in Westminster, CA, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. Over the last few weekends vandals broke in to the shuttered mall, covered it in grafattii and destroyed the interior. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The Westminster Mall in Westminster, CA, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. Over the last few weekends vandals broke in to the shuttered mall, covered it in grafattii and destroyed the interior. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The Westminster Mall in Westminster, CA, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. Over the last few weekends vandals broke in to the shuttered mall, covered it in grafattii and destroyed the interior. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
1 of 12
The Westminster Mall in Westminster, CA, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. Over the last few weekends vandals broke in to the shuttered mall, covered it in grafattii and destroyed the interior. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Malatesta said she grew up visiting the mall, riding the carousel, snacking on warm pretzels, and snapping pictures with her friends. To bid farewell to the space that’s been a part of “every stage” of her life, Malatesta threw a karaoke party inside the mall before its doors closed. The event was attended by dozens of community members and fellow mall enthusiasts.
But after its closure, the mall, which opened in 1974, now resembles what some are describing as a post-apocalyptic ruin.
“It’s one thing to want to explore (a) structure, and it’s one thing to even some of these people who, you know, consider what they do art, but it’s a completely different thing to walk in there and just break windows, throw things off the second story,” Malatesta said.
The Westminster Police Department is working with mall management to “put new security practices in place,” Stowers said.
Construction workers on Tuesday were seen putting up fences around the mall. Some exterior businesses remain open, including the Target and Best Buy.
Four companies control portions of the mall and its surrounding parking lots: Kaiser Permanente, Shopoff Realty, True Life Companies and Washington Prime Group.
The Westminster City Council in 2022 approved a specific plan with guidelines for future redevelopment by the four owners. Those plans envision the 100-acre property transformed into a mixed-use downtown, with up to 3,000 housing units, mostly in multi-family complexes, with future residents enjoying park space and retail.
Next, the owners will be developing their plans under that framework for the city to consider.
And until that unforeseen date, Malatesta said she’ll continue to keep up with the decline of her favorite mall.
“I’m almost addicted to the coverage,” she said. “It’s been really heartbreaking just to see the absolute disrespect of the space.”
