Police said a teen takeover intended to take place at a Florida beach was thwarted after cops turned the tables on the organizers — and used social media against them.
Authorities in St. Johns County told Fox News they squashed the planned event after finding social media posts encouraging youths to gather at St. Augustine Beach for what officials said was shaping up to be a chaotic and violent gathering.
‘You don’t know if it’s going to be 10 people, 100 people, or 1,000 people … showing up, so it’s extremely taxing on our resources, especially being a small police department like we are.’
“This wasn’t an invite for a teen party or a beach gathering. This was an invitation to come take over our beach and create chaos and possibly leading to violence,” St. Augustine Beach Police Chief Daniel Carswell told Fox News on Monday.
Authorities pre-emptively canceled the planned takeover in the interest of public safety — and to send a signal to those planning to participate, the news network noted.
“[We did this] to put everybody on alert that if they come, if they’re going to respond to this invitation, there’s going to be zero tolerance here in St. Augustine Beach,” Carswell added to Fox News.
St. Johns County Sheriff Robert Hardwick said targeting suspicious social media chatter began with analyzing community reports and monitoring organizers’ attempts to act behind the scenes, the news network said: “The organizers started moving it around, basically on posters, trying to be strategically behind the scenes, trying to get people to bite into the actual event itself. And again, we just don’t tolerate this garbage in St. Johns County.”
Carswell added to Fox News that he couldn’t recall any prior attempts to stage such an event in St. Johns County but highlighted other instances across the country, including some in Florida.
“These things are spread … via TikTok and social media,” he noted to the news network.
“You don’t know if it’s going to be 10 people, 100 people, or 1,000 people … showing up, so it’s extremely taxing on our resources, especially being a small police department like we are,” he continued.
RELATED: Yet another violent Florida ‘teen takeover’ leads to arrests of suspects as young as 12, officials say
Police posted on Facebook their response to one teen takeover announcement, noting the following “PSA”:
The planned event is not permitted and has been canceled by the St. Augustine Beach Police Department. While we welcome and encourage everyone to enjoy our community and beaches, any unlawful gathering, criminal activity, or disturbance of the peace will be met with immediate enforcement action. To ensure the safety of our residents and visitors, there will be a substantial law enforcement presence at and around the St. Augustine Beach Pier tomorrow afternoon. We appreciate the public’s cooperation in helping maintain a safe and enjoyable environment for all.
A violent teen takeover in Florida last month led to the arrests of suspects as young as 12, officials said, adding that Tampa Police officers arrested 22 people in connection with the incident in the area of Curtis Hixon Park, which police said resulted in “significant disruptions, fights, and other issues.”
In April, fights erupted and sheriff’s deputies were hurt after more than 1,000 teenagers descended upon ICON Park in Orlando as part of a planned takeover.
Tampa Police added that with summer approaching, the growing “takeover” trend has become a concern for communities across the country — not just in Tampa.
Indeed, a massive brawl broke out in a Washington, D.C., Chipotle restaurant last month — with chairs being thrown and used as weapons — just one day after U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced she would prosecute parents of youths taking part in teen takeovers, WJLA-TV reported.
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