Horry County Fire Rescue, Atlantic Beach police chief offer differing accounts of bike week fights that injured 12
ATLANTIC BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — Horry County Fire Rescue initiated its mass casualty protocols during a series of fights during Sunday morning's Atlantic Beach bike week festivities in which 12 people were hurt, but the town's police chief still disputes claims of a mass casualty incident.
'There were no mass casualties at the Atlantic Beach Memorial Day Black Pearl Cultural Heritage and Bike Festival on Saturday evening as has been reported. There were a couple of fights that broke out, causing panic in the crowd and several people were injured trying to leave the area,' Chief Carlos Castillo Jr. said on Sunday. 'Adequate police and medical staff were on hand to aid as needed and transport individuals to the hospital.'
Horry County Fire Rescue said it was dispatched for a reported disturbance with multiple injuries.
'Because of the increasing number of patients from the initial dispatch, HCFR engaged its mass casualty incident protocols, which includes bringing resources like the Multi-Patient Unit bus to the scene and alerting local hospitals of a possible influx of transports,' HCFR spokesperson Tony Casey said. 'These protocols may be enacted any time HCFR is handling five patients or more on a given incident. Additional to the two on-site ambulances, HCFR Command brought in seven ambulances from across Horry County to handle the patient load, along with other personnel.'
12 people in total were taken to the hospital, all with non-life-threatening injuries, according to HCFR. Six other people signed medical transport waivers.
In a statement to News13 on Wednesday, Castillo reiterated that rumors of a mass casualty incident were 'inaccurate, though the situation did cause significant disruption.'
'The injuries sustained were primarily due to the panic — patrons ran to escape the fights, leading to trampling incidents,' Castillo said. 'Emergency medical services (EMS) provided aid, 12 people were transported to the hospital and six additional people signed medical transport waivers. Reports indicate that these injuries were not from a single event but rather from separate fights throughout the festival.'
Castillo said the people involved in the altercations fled and could not be located, but that authorities are continuing to investigate.
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Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here.
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Adrianna Lawrence is a multimedia journalist at News13. Adrianna is originally from Virginia Beach, Virginia, and joined the News13 team in June 2023 after graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University in May 2023. Keep up with Adrianna on Instagram, Facebook, and X, formerly Twitter. You can also read more of her work here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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