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149 arrested after viral video on TikTok draws hundreds to California party

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Posted at 11:53 AM, May 24, 2021
and last updated 2021-05-24 15:05:16-04

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. – A birthday party invitation that went viral on TikTok brought hundreds of people to a raucous celebration on a Southern California beach.

The huge crowd prompted police to declare an unlawful assembly and arrest nearly 150 people after they refused orders to disperse.

Police in Huntington Beach estimate that at least 2,500 people gathered on the sand and the downtown area Saturday night.

Officers ordered the crowd to disperse and issued an emergency curfew after partygoers began to climb atop a lifeguard tower and illegally set off fireworks.

Video footage from the scene shows officers dressed in riot helmets firing less-lethal rounds and shutting down streets to control the crowd.

The people arrested included 121 adults and 28 juveniles.