Several people were detained Sunday evening after a shooting during a “teen takeover” sent a teenage boy to the hospital.
According to Clearwater Deputy Police Chief Michael Walek, officers received a report of a shooting during a fight in the 100 block of Coronado Drive around 5:15 p.m.
Officers responded and found the 17-year-old gunshot victim with non-life-threatening injuries.
Walek said officers detained multiple people for questioning, and multiple people fled the scene. Officers also canvassed local hospitals to search for any additional victims.
Several people were placed into custody Saturday evening, but their identities and ages were not released. Walek also did not confirm whether the suspected shooter was in custody.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Walek said there were reports of hundreds of people who had gathered in other locations and were creating disturbances.
Officers responded to those locations and limited access to the affected areas of the beach by implementing a traffic plan that Walek said is commonly used on July 4th.
According to Walek, the CPD Threat Management Unit was aware of a “planned gathering” at the beach on Sunday and allocated resources to prepare for a possible influx of people.
When asked during a press conference on Sunday if the gathering could be categorized as a “teen takeover,” Walek responded, “You can phrase it however you want. Teen takeover, meetup, it’s all organized through social media.”
“Teen takeovers” are a growing social media trend, during which large groups of mainly young people gather unannounced, overwhelming businesses and public spaces.
“Clearwater Beach is family-friendly — it’s safe, this is a bunch of kids acting like kids,” Walek said. “And I’m telling you, it won’t happen again.”
The incident in Clearwater comes weeks after nearly two dozen people between the ages of 12 and 21 were arrested during a teen takeover in Tampa. Eight juveniles were arrested during a takeover at a trampoline park in Brandon back in March.
“This is the first weekend of Summer here at Clearwater Beach,” Walek said. “I want to send a very, very clear message to anyone who plans to come here and engage in the kind of behavior we saw this evening: don’t do it. If you do, your trip to the beach will end up with a trip to jail.”
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Source: Wfla
