Nearly 150 arrested in Huntington Beach after party that went viral on TikTok becomes unruly
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. - Nearly 150 people were arrested at the Huntington Beach Pier after thousands of unruly people, prompted by a viral TikTok video, gathered for a birthday party on the beach, which police later declared an unlawful assembly and issued an overnight curfew, authorities said.
Of those arrested, 121 were adults and 28 were juveniles, according to Jennifer Carey, public information officer for the Huntington Beach Police Department.
They were booked on a variety of charges including vandalism, the firing of dangerous/illegal fireworks, failure to disperse, and curfew violations, Carey said.
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Multiple downtown businesses, numerous police vehicles and a lifeguard tower were damaged, but no significant injuries were reported, she said.
Store owners spent Sunday washing off graffiti from their windows and walls.
"People climbing up on the lifeguard towers and standing on roof caving it in…hoods and stuff. We did have graffiti on the window and it looks like the same tagger went down street little punk and hit all the windows," Rick Figinetti, Rockin Fig Surf owner said.
Another store owner said, "We got trapped in here, there were kids on the roof. They were doing car donuts on the corner, hundreds of kids surrounding everywhere, completely unruly."
Fire department paramedics were also called to the area to handle several medical calls, Huntington Beach fire Battalion Chief Jeff Lopez told the Orange County Register, but he did not provide details on injuries or illnesses.
As the Saturday gathering grew in number and rowdiness, more than 150 officers from agencies throughout Orange County were deployed to Huntington Beach under a pre-arranged request for assistance.
The Huntington Beach police emergency curfew was in effect from 11:30 p.m. Saturday through 5:30 a.m. Sunday for all individuals in the vicinity of Beach Boulevard to Goldenwest Street and Pacific Coast Highway to Yorktown Avenue.
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Officers used less-lethal weapons to disperse a crowd estimated at more than 2,500 that responded to a viral video posted Wednesday on the TikTok page adrian.lopez517, which included the caption "pop out 'n celebrate my bday.''
Footage on social media showed the crowds dancing, taking videos, and launching fireworks. Social media videos showed objects being thrown at officers, people jumping on top of cars and celebrating on the street in downtown Huntington Beach.
The department warned the visitors there should be no alcohol or drug use on the beach and no fireworks, and noted it was "taking significant steps to prepare for the potential influx of visitors, including working closely with our regional public safety partners. Toward that end, the HBPD will also be strictly enforcing all applicable laws & ordinances throughout the weekend."
Authorities say about 1,000 people showed up at Tower 13.
Huntington Beach police and other agencies received "threats of an explosive device" in the area. Based on what they investigated, there were no bomb threats.
On Sunday, another 29 people were arrested following a party that moved to downtown Los Angeles. Officers responded to a group of about 150 people who later started throwing illegal fireworks at officers and an unlawful assembly was declared.
Those who were arrested were booked on charges such as assault with a deadly weapon, firing dangerous/illegal fireworks, resisting arrest and failure to disperse.
City News Service contributed to this report.