By Larry Barszewski
More than 500 juveniles and young adults swarmed the Delray Beach pavilion and surrounding area June 6 in a “Beach Takeover” that police said “had been promoted extensively on social media.”
Police said they were aware of the postings and were on hand in force to maintain public safety during the gathering, with officers clearing the area once the beach officially closed at dusk.
Officers “managed several disturbances, fights, and acts of disorderly conduct that occurred as the crowd moved through the downtown corridor,” Police Chief Darrell Hunter wrote in an email to commissioners and the city manager the next day.
“Multiple arrests were made when individuals resisted lawful orders, interfered with officers, or engaged in criminal activity,” Hunter said. “Despite the size of the crowd and the challenges presented, officers effectively controlled the situation, prevented escalation, and restored normal operations without any major injuries or significant property damage.”
As of June 23, the Police Department was denying The Coastal Star’s public records request for police reports of the incident that City Commissioner Tom Markert described as a “mob scene at A1A and Atlantic,” with police saying the reports concerned an active criminal investigation.
At the City Commission’s June 9 meeting, Markert said the gathering was one of several “takeovers” that had occurred in Palm Beach County during the previous week. He had seen social posts for a June 5 takeover of the Wellington Mall and another June 6 at the beach on Singer Island. There have been other reported “teen takeovers” happening across the state over the past several months.
While Markert said he doesn’t want to see juveniles being arrested, he also said the Delray Beach incident was a “scary situation” from his perspective.
“We had several merchants that called me that had to close their doors because the conditions were unsafe,” Markert said. “I don’t want our residents to feel unsafe, and I certainly don’t want our merchants closing up their doors early on a Saturday night.”
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