Wild birthday party goes viral on TikTok before police shutdown
Thousands of people attended a birthday party celebration at a beach in California after it was promoted on TikTok, resulting in more than 100 people getting arrested.
"Adrian's Kickback" was a gathering which was seemingly organised and promoted on TikTok and started when a user who was the event's namesake posted a video inviting people to his birthday last week.
Adrian's TikTok account is now private, Buzzfeed reported, however "AdriansKickback" began trending on the platform and spurred a slew of memes about the event before it even took place.
TikTok users made videos about them asking their parents if they could go to a random guy's beach party in California, with a few videos suggesting people were travelling interstate for the affair.
While most of the reaction was perhaps in jest, the gathering did go ahead at Huntington Beach in California.
At least 400 people showed up to a pre-party Friday evening (local time) around a lifeguard tower, Police Lieutenant Brian Smith said.
When people in the crowd began to launch fireworks near the fire pits, he said, officers declared an unlawful assembly and the partygoers scattered.
Police estimated at least 2500 people gathered at the beach before moving to the downtown area on Saturday.
Other local news sites reported by 9.30pm on Saturday, thousands were at the beach.
People on TikTok were warning people not to make the trip to southern California, sharing videos of police stationed at the beach before Saturday night.
"We are actively monitoring multiple social media posts advertising a large gathering on the beach this evening," police said on Saturday morning, saying officers would be "strictly enforcing" laws and ordinances over the weekend.
Videos which are allegedly from the event were shared to TikTok and show hundreds of people dancing on the beach, social distancing not being observed and there was a lack of face masks.
The party at the beach prompted the Huntington Beach Police Department to implement an emergency curfew starting from 11.30pm on Saturday until 5.30am on Sunday.
"Unlawful assembly has been declared in Huntington Beach due to unruly crowds," the police said on Facebook, adding it was applicable for all in the downtown area.
A video shared by TheSyncUp on TikTok shows people climbing trees and flagpoles while crowds gather underneath and one person jumping from what looks to be a bridge.
Other videos claiming to have been filmed at Adrian's Kickback show people taking to the streets and fireworks going off.
According to TheSyncUp, the police started firing paintballs at the revellers.
CBS LA reported after fireworks were set off, police began to "interact" with the crowd and several TikTok videos show fireworks being set off.
According to New York Times reporter Taylor Lorenz, a ticketed 'Adrian's Kickback' event was set up in Los Angeles.
149 people arrested at Adrian's Kickback
Police arrested 121 adults and 28 juveniles at the affair, CBS LA reported, taking the total of arrests to 149.
The news station reported "chaos ensued" when police tried to disperse the crowd, fireworks were allegedly hurled at officers, some revellers were graffitiing, destroying property and looting.
“Multiple downtown businesses, numerous police vehicles and a lifeguard tower suffered damage due to vandalism,” police said in a press release according to CBS LA.
Video footage shows officers dressed in riot helmets shutting streets to control the crowd and, in some instances, firing less-lethal rounds. Police said some people threw bottles, rocks and fireworks at officers.
A woman dining at Duke’s Hawaiian restaurant by the pier said she heard fireworks while she was eating, and when she went to the window to see what was happening she saw hundreds of people running away from the beach.
“People climbing walls and screaming, more and more fireworks, mobs running. They were asking us to let them in the restaurant, banging on the windows,” Sonya Gronning said.
“When we went to leave there was a wall of police protecting the restaurant.”
No serious injuries were reported.
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