{"id":389754,"date":"2026-07-07T22:08:07","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T22:08:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/389754\/"},"modified":"2026-07-07T22:08:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T22:08:07","slug":"more-than-400-people-arrested-at-fourth-of-july-tiktok-takeover-in-california-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/389754\/","title":{"rendered":"More than 400 people arrested at Fourth of July \u2018TikTok takeover\u2019 in California | California"},"content":{"rendered":"

An alleged \u201cTikTok takeover\u201d sparked mayhem in a southern California<\/a> beach town over the Fourth of July weekend, leading to fires, roughly 400 arrests and officers on horseback for crowd control.<\/p>\n

Thousands of people descended on Newport Beach, California, on Saturday night, many drawn by an online flash mob-style meetup, according to a city statement. Balboa Peninsula was already packed with tens of thousands of Fourth of July revelers, but as night fell, officials said, a large crowd obstructed traffic, set fires and hurled explosives at law enforcement officers.<\/p>\n

\u201cSocial media posts drew a large influx of juveniles and young adults to the Newport Pier area within a short period of time,\u201d reads the statement<\/a> from the city of Newport Beach. \u201cAs the crowd rapidly grew, individuals engaged in increasingly dangerous and unlawful behavior, blocking roadways, restricting emergency vehicle access and throwing explosive mortars, fireworks and other projectiles at police officers, into densely packed crowds and near families with children.\u201d<\/p>\n

The police made 402 arrests over the weekend, a notable jump from the 60 arrests made during the same time last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs our nation celebrated its semi-quincentennial with families and neighbors gathering peacefully, joyfully, and safely … a large group of agitators invaded Newport Beach, spurred on by an alleged \u2018TikTok Takeover\u2019,\u201d said Joe DeJulio, president of the Newport Beach Police Association, in a statement<\/a> on Facebook.<\/p>\n

The Newport Beach fire department responded to 102 emergency incidents that Saturday, including 10 fires. The department also took 44 patients to local hospitals, including six trauma patients. The city said that the police response was part of \u201cmonths of planning and preparation\u201d, deploying 17 regional law enforcement agencies and more than 350 officers from the Newport Beach police department during Saturday\u2019s mayhem.<\/p>\n

Viral videos show police officers mounted on horses<\/a> to control the crowd on the beach. According to the Los Angeles Times<\/a>, the majority of the people arrested were not residents of Newport Beach. Logs showed that the people arrested were from Arizona, Nevada or other areas of California. The ages of the arrestees ranged from 15 to 25, according to NBC LA<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While a large crowd of Fourth of July revelers was already at the beach, the \u201ctakeover\u201d started at about 8pm, according to the Times, with police requesting backup at about 8.25pm.<\/p>\n

\u201cTakeovers\u201d or mass gatherings starting online seem to be gaining traction, with authorities warning of violence stemming from recent incidents, including the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old man<\/a> during a \u201cteen takeover\u201d in Pensacola, Florida, over the weekend. Also, in Chicago, seven people were injured<\/a> in two shootings over the weekend following a \u201cteen takeover\u201d.<\/p>\n

The trend has led the US attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, to \u201cincrease enforcement of existing laws addressing parental responsibility when minors engage in criminal conduct in the District\u201d in May.<\/p>\n

\u201cTeen takeovers have disrupted neighborhoods, forced businesses to close temporarily, and diverted valuable law enforcement resources from the residents of the District,\u201d said Pirro in a statement<\/a>. \u201cLaw abiding taxpayers should not subsidize chaos caused by parental neglect. Parents do your job, or we will do ours.\u201d<\/p>\n