One arrest made after hundreds of kids pack Fort Lauderdale beach
One minor was taken into custody after hundreds of kids flocked to Fort Lauderdale beach, prompting a large police response and backing up traffic on State Road A1A late into Thursday night, police said.
The police department was notified about 6 p.m. that a crowd of 400 people, mostly minors, were headed toward Fort Lauderdale beach from Pompano Beach, police department spokesperson Casey Liening said in a statement Friday afternoon.
The group of kids gathered largely along A1A near the intersection of East Las Olas Boulevard while some smaller groups congregated nearby in other parts of the barrier island, Liening said. Officers broke up the crowd 'in the safest manner possible,' and there were no major incidents, though some disturbances or fights and trespassing complaints were reported.
One minor was taken into custody after attempting to steal a golf cart, Liening said.
Traffic heading north on the beachside road was backed up for hours, reopening by about 11:30 p.m. when officers had broken up the crowds, according to the police department.
Vice Mayor Steve Glassman told the South Florida Sun Sentinel Thursday night that he drove through the area shortly after the commotion was reported and saw high-school-age kids. The police presence was 'huge' in the area, including helicopters flying overhead, he said.
'These were not Spring Breakers and not Fort Lauderdale residents,' he said.
The police department's Quick Response Force, a specialty unit, was activated for more officers to respond to the area 'as a force multiplier,' Liening said.
In Pompano Beach earlier on Thursday evening, deputies were called about a shooting near the 100 block of North Pompano Beach Boulevard, near the Pompano Beach Pier. Shots had been fired in the area, but no injuries were reported and no one has been arrested as of Friday, the Broward Sheriff's Office said.
It was not clear whether the incident in Pompano Beach is related to the crowds later in the night in Fort Lauderdale.
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