BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

Florida officials seize enough weapons to supply ‘small army’ from spring breakers

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

ovp test

mLife Diagnostics LLC: Oral Fluid Drug Testing

Male shot by female at Shreveport apartment

Class to create biodiverse backyard

Rules for outbursts at Caddo School Board Meeting

Testing widget old system

Lorenzo shared

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (NewsNation) — Rowdy spring break crowds have triggered curfews and led some establishments to close their doors from Miami Beach to Florida’s Panhandle.

Law enforcement officials in Bay County, Florida, said Sunday that they won’t tolerate the bad behavior from spring breakers after a 21-year-old from Alabama was shot in the foot Sunday in Panama City Beach.

“The crowd that has been here this weekend, there are no words that can describe the way they have behaved themselves, conducted themselves and the amount of laws they have broken,” Panama City Beach police Chief J.R. Talamantez said Sunday after the shooting. “We are doing the best to manage this situation.”

Police received word that the large crowd was out of control just before the shooting happened Sunday afternoon. Six people were detained and officials said they could be charged with attempted murder related to that shooting.

Investigators said they found enough weapons to supply a “small army.” Law enforcement confiscated 75 guns, which they spread out on a table during a news conference Monday in Panama City Beach.

Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford said 161 people were booked into the county jail during a “difficult, trying and dangerous weekend. He noted that 78 of those arrested were from Alabama.

“Each one of these 75 illegal firearms represents a violent armed encounter with law enforcement,” Ford said. “This weekend could have very well resulted in tragedy of a law enforcement loss of life, a citizen’s loss of life and even a bad guy’s loss of life.”

Some local nightclubs volunteered to close their doors Sunday night, Panama City police Chief Mark Smith said.

Officials noted that most of those arrested were not typical “spring breakers.”

“These are criminals that came to our city and brought the guns with the intent to commit some type of act,” Smith said.

In South Florida, raucous crowds, public drinking and growing violence associated with the city’s world-famous South Beach neighborhood led officials to impose a midnight curfew over the weekend. The action followed shootings that injured five people on South Beach last week.

The 10-block stretch of Ocean Drive known for art deco hotels, restaurants and bars lies between areas that cater to more affluent tourists, as well as locals. Many longtime residents have learned to treat spring break like a hurricane: Stay inside and hunker down until it’s over.

When asked about a possible curfew in Panama City Beach, Talamantez said, “nothing is off the table.” He said officials are evaluating the situation. Officials plan to meet again Friday to address the issue.

“I know the citizens are frustrated. Trust me, we are frustrated, too,” Talamantez said. “The harsh reality is we cannot control who comes to town. But what we can control is what happens to you if you commit a crime in this town. We will hold you accountable.”

The Associated Press Contributed to this report.

Southeast

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Clear

la

64°F Clear Feels like 64°
Wind
1 mph WSW
Humidity
88%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low 62F. Winds light and variable.
62°F Partly cloudy skies. Low 62F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
2 mph W
Precip
12%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waning Gibbous