Teens across the nation are wreaking havoc by holding “takeovers” — wild and often violent gatherings which are overwhelming local police forces.
People chasing internet notoriety organize the meetups online, which spread like wildfire, prompting mobs of hundreds to turn up unannounced at public spaces like shopping malls, city streets, parking lots and businesses and taking them over.
The planned events have spread across the country from Florida to Virginia to Chicago and Washington DC, with videos posted from one fueling the next, according to law enforcement sources.
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On Saturday eight juveniles were arrested in Brandon, Florida, after hundreds of kids “overwhelmed” a trampoline park and refused to get off its equipment, even after it was forced to closed to deal with the takeover. All those arrested were charged with trespassing.
Other takeovers have turned violent. In February five people aged between 15 and 18 were shot shortly after cops broke up a takeover attended by some 130 revelers at Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Cops said they’d determined one of the organizers had also been behind another takeover two weeks earlier, which was largely organized through Instagram.
A teen takeover in Henrico County, Virginia, resulted in a mall closing early and some patrons locked in stores, as well as a “very large fight,” per local police. After that chaos, authorities the next county over took action to thwart a takeover planned at Chesterfield Towne Center mall’s parking lot.
“It’s a national trend in which people use social media to let others know about gathering to occupy an area, with or without cars,” Lt. Col. Frank Carpenter, chief of the Chesterfield County Police Department, told The Post. “They put out fliers on social media.
“It’s almost like they want to have free nights to do whatever they want, like in
‘Grand Theft Auto’ or ‘The Purge,’ ” he said, latterly referencing a dystopian horror movie where all crime is deemed permissible for 12 hours.
As Spring Break took hold last week, police departments across Florida were stretched to their limits. Daytona Beach Police said a stampede broke out at a “beach takeover” when people mistook the sound of plastic bottles being crushed for gunshots. The takeover resulted in 133 arrests and authorities turned the entire beach into a quarantine zone, with much stricter enforcement.
Other Florida departments issued paintball guns and pepper spray to officers to control crowds and banning twerking on beaches.
Carpenter claims getting ahead of a takeover is key. “We let everyone know we would be there in full force,” he said, referring to a video his department put out. Otherwise, “it can grow into altercations that turn into gunplay with potential fatalities,” he added.
A teen takeover at The Loop shopping district in Chicago last week led police to issue a curfew to get hundreds of teens to disperse. Seven juveniles aged between 13 and 16 were charged with reckless conduct and an eighth, a 16-year-old boy, was charged with three felony counts of aggravated assault of peace officers as a result.
Seven teens aged between 13 and 17 were shot at a similar teen takeover last November also in the Loop area.
Meanwhile, in February a “takeover” at the Bay Plaza Mall in the Bronx on Presidents Day left the shopping mall looking like a horror movie set. Fired-up teens stormed the mall, flipped displays, hurled furniture and tried to snatch merchandise as it all went down.
Police arrived on the scene, but not soon enough.
“[The kids] went into stores and beat the workers,” Alex Mohamed, manager of a nearby Munchies grocery who saw it all go down, told The Post.
“My cousin came in and told me what was happening; so, we shut down the store … They tried to get in but we wouldn’t allow it,” he added, noting there were around 300 kids in the Baychester neighborhood streets. Police made 18 arrests in total.
Even President Trump’s backyard is not immune to the lawless gatherings.
In Washington DC’s Navy Yard, teen takeovers have resulted in robberies, physical attacks and the kind of gunplay Carpenter warned about.
Jennine Pirro, US attorney for Washington DC, speaking at a community meeting earlier this month, came down hard. “Since I have been here, my mission has been to change the law to make some of the young punks criminally responsible for what they’re doing,” she said. “They’ve got to be made accountable.”
Speaking to The Post, Pirro added, “Too often, this behavior disrupts the livelihoods of businesses in DC, undermines residents’ quality of life and interferes with their right to the quiet enjoyment of their homes. That conduct cannot be tolerated.”
Although it’s hard to trace the origins of teen takeovers, they are thought to have spun off from street takeovers — where unruly mobs gather with their cars to illegally drag race, pull donuts and generally cause problems late at night, often resulting in injuries and damage to public and private property.
One teen takeover gang has terrorized Los Angeles for at least a year. Last April they swooped upon a grocery store and ransacked shelves, sprayed pepper spray, terrorized shoppers, and assaulted a couple in the parking lot, according to security footage.
