A boisterous crowd of teenagers swarmed Horny Corner beach in Long Beach’s upscale Belmont Shore neighborhood at dusk Thursday, setting off a chaotic fight that ended with several youths being detained.
The disturbance erupted as the sun was setting on the first evening of summer break for students at several nearby schools, including Woodrow Wilson High School, which has an enrollment of more than 3,300.
Videos from the scene show large groups of teens spilling into nearby streets and across the sand at two heavily visited Southern California beaches: Horny Corner and neighboring Rosie’s Dog Beach.
In the middle of the disorder, teenage girls wearing bikini tops were seen trading punches, a scene that led multiple local residents to contact police.
According to the Long Beach Police Department, officers arrived within five minutes of the initial call, pulling up in several patrol cars with sirens sounding shortly before 7 p.m.
Police said officers quickly moved to disperse a crowd of roughly 200 teenagers gathered at Horny Corner beach near Ocean Boulevard and Bayshore Avenue.
At one point, another fight broke out a couple of blocks away near Ocean Boulevard and Termino Avenue, prompting officers to detain several teens, police said.
In a statement provided to The Post, LBPD Chief Wally Hebeish said the fracas distracted the police from responding to other, potentially more serious, crimes.
“Large-scale disturbances like this deplete our resources and divert our officers from addressing other safety concerns in Long Beach, including emergency responses,” said Hebeish.
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As of 9:45 p.m., some juveniles remained in the area, according to police. Officers gave numerous announcements regarding curfew enforcement, but the teens refused to leave.
Five were cited for violating the city’s curfew and taken to their families.
With summer heating up, Hebeish said police would “maintain an enhanced presence” at the popular beaches in the area, at least through the weekend.
“Any form of violent behavior or law violations will not be tolerated,” said Hebeish.
