Hundreds of teens and young adults gathered at Robert W. Crown Memorial State Beach in Alameda over the weekend for a social media-promoted “beach takeover,” with police reporting fights, assaults and other disturbances as the crowd later moved into a nearby shopping area.
The gathering had originally been advertised for Sunday and Tuesday, but police said the Sunday event was moved to Saturday, prompting the East Bay Regional Park District Police Department to post numerous officers at the beach, with support from the Alameda Police Department.
Police said the crowd at the beach was generally peaceful, despite several reports of underage drinking. But as the event ended, many attendees moved to the South Shore Center mall, where police began receiving reports of disturbances and fights. In two separate cases, people were pepper-sprayed by other partygoers.
An assault following a dispute over a water gun game was reported, as well as a separate case of a Taser stun gun being used in the crowd. A person was taken to a hospital by the Alameda Fire Department, police said.
Several businesses in the area closed early due to the disruptions.
Police had previously warned about the gatherings, which were promoted online and appeared to target young people.
More gatherings are still being advertised for Tuesday, and authorities said both Alameda police and park district officers will have an increased presence to monitor the expected crowds and protect public safety.