HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — A birthday party invitation that went viral on TikTok brought hundreds of people to a raucous celebration on a Southern California beach, prompting police to declare an unlawful assembly and arrest about 150 people after they refused orders to disperse.
Police in Huntington Beach estimate that at least 2,500 people gathered on the sand and the downtown area Saturday night.
Officers ordered the crowd to disperse and issued an emergency curfew after partygoers began to climb atop a lifeguard tower and illegally set off fireworks.
Video footage from the scene shows officers dressed in riot helmets firing less-lethal rounds and shutting down streets to control the crowd.
ABC7 in Los Angeles reports that 121 adults and 28 juveniles were arrested, 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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