A 17-year-old who was shot in May during a “teen takeover” on Clearwater Beach was arrested on charges of rioting, the Clearwater Police Department announced Wednesday afternoon.
Police secured arrest warrants for him, four other juveniles and an 18-year-old after a multiagency investigation, the department said in a news release.
The 17-year-old and one other juvenile have been arrested on rioting charges so far. Law enforcement in Pasco, Hillsborough and Polk counties are working to take the remaining suspects into custody, according to the release.
Florida law defines a standard riot as “willfully participating in a violent public disturbance with three or more people that causes injury, property damage, or imminent danger.” The charge is a third-degree felony and carries penalties of up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
It is unclear whether the juveniles will be charged as adults.
Just before 6 p.m. on May 31, police were called to a report of a shooting on the 100 block of Coronado Drive on Clearwater Beach. Hundreds of teenagers were gathered, and many fled the scene.
The teens had flocked to participate in what was promoted as a peaceful gathering amid a string of similar ones across the county. The flyer promoting the event asked attendees to bring umbrellas and water and refrain from bringing alcohol and guns. It also said that no unsupervised minors were allowed, Clearwater Deputy Police Chief Michael Walek said at a news conference last month.
Before the shooting, Walek said, a fight broke out between two groups who knew each other from Winter Haven. Then, a 16-year-old fired a gun seven times, Walek said.
The boy faces charges of attempted second-degree murder, discharging a firearm in public and unlawful possession of a firearm by a minor. It is unclear whether he will be tried as an adult.
The 17-year-old was taken to the hospital.
After the takeover, multiple people were taken in for questioning. In addition to the 16-year-old who was arrested, a 17-year-old from Brandon faces charges of obstructing or resisting an officer without violence, unlawfully carrying a concealed firearm and possessing a firearm as a minor.
Walek said last month that Clearwater police were prepared for the “possibility of an influx of people” because the threat management unit had seen plans of the takeover on social media.
Walek said the unit had been aware of 11 planned takeovers since December, but nine never occurred and two were “totally dismantled.”
He said the agency has sent letters to people who post about takeovers, warning them to “cease and desist from advertising and promoting this takeover in the City of Clearwater.”
May’s takeover followed a series of others across Tampa Bay.
On March 19, Hillsborough deputies arrested 11 people after a crowd of about 100 teens amassed at Astro Skate in Brandon, according to WTSP-Ch. 10. Two days later, even more teens overwhelmed a Brandon trampoline park and its parking lot, leading to eight trespassing arrests.
On May 8, Tampa police arrested 22 people, most of them boys younger than 18, after a “teen takeover” at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in downtown Tampa. In response, the Tampa Police Department invited teenagers to an alternative takeover at the Jackson Heights NFL YET Center for a night of free food, activities and raffle prizes.
Local and state officials have vowed to crack down on the behavior. At a news conference in June, Attorney General James Uthmeier delivered a warning for the organizers of such events: “There will be zero tolerance,” he said.
He was joined by Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, State Attorney Bruce Bartlett and state Rep. Berny Jacques, R-Seminole.
