For days in advance, Alameda and neighboring communities issued stern warnings about the unpermitted “beach takeovers” that threatened to hit Alameda on Sunday and Tuesday. One of the flyers posted on social media called it “Assassin Sunday” because it would involve “an assassin-style game using water guns and water balloons,” according to an APD warning [1] on Thursday, March 12.
[2]“While this may seem like harmless fun,” APD warned, “similar games in the past have led to unintended and dangerous consequences. We urge parents and guardians to talk to your children and discourage participating in unpermitted gatherings like these.”
East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) Lieutenant Ben Guzman told ABC7 News [3], “Obviously having water guns in a park is not a problem, but there are times you can have firearms or replica firearms that can cause problems. So, safety is my main concern.”
APD urged parents and guardians to “talk to your children and discourage participating in unpermitted gatherings like these.”
Nevertheless, hundreds of teens and young adults gathered at Crown Memorial Beach for a “beach takeover,” according to an APD report [4].
The gatherings were initially promoted for Sunday and Tuesday, but the park district police department received information that the Sunday event had been moved up to Saturday, APD said.
“EBRPD took appropriate action and maintained a high-visibility presence at the beach,” the APD report stated. APD provided additional staff to assist with monitoring the large gathering.
“Participants at the beach were generally peaceful, though there were several reports of underage drinking,” the APD report stated. “As the event concluded, many attendees migrated to the South Shore Shopping Center, where APD began receiving reports of disturbances and fights.”
In two separate incidents, attendees were pepper sprayed by other partygoers, APD stated. In another incident, an assault occurred following a dispute over a game involving water guns.
There were also reports of a taser being activated within the crowd, according to the APD report. One victim was transported to a local hospital by the Alameda Fire Department. Due to the disruption to normal business operations, several businesses in the area elected to close early.
“Additional gatherings are being advertised on social media for Tuesday, March 17,” APD warned. “EBRPD and APD will maintain an increased presence during these events to help ensure public safety and minimize impacts to the community and local businesses.”