JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Among the 13 arrests that were made at a recent “Senior Skip Day” event at Jacksonville Beach, one of them involved an 18-year-old whose littering of a Sprite bottle led to the discovery of an illegally possessed “Draco-style pistol.”
According to arrest reports, the 18-year-old, a Riverside High School student, threw the soda bottle on the ground in front of Sneakers Bar & Grill in Jacksonville Beach around 3 p.m. on Friday.
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Police say they noticed the suspect had a backpack and asked him what was inside, to which he replied, “normal beach things.”
The arrest report notes that the arresting officer noticed that the bottom of the backpack “came to a point,” and after the 18-year-old unzipped the main compartment, the pistol was seen and removed from the bag.
The suspect was subsequently taken to jail.
On Monday, JSO said it made 13 arrests, seized over 100 grams of marijuana, and recovered nine guns at a “Senior Skip Day” event in Jacksonville Beach.
The agency noted in its social media post that its officers were made aware of the event by the Jacksonville Beach Police Department, which learned of the event through “online chatter” that appeared similar to recent teen takeovers in the area.
Eight people face felony charges following the arrests, and five more were arrested for misdemeanors, JSO said.
RELATED: ‘Do you know where your kids are?’: JSO warns parents as teen ‘takeover’ events raise concerns | JSO says Saturday night gathering of 600 to 700 young people near Friendship Fountain was part of ‘planned takeover’
“Our teams took a proactive approach to keep everyone safe, looking for suspicious and dangerous behavior,” the agency wrote on social media. “Please enjoy our beaches and public spaces, but don’t bring bad behavior, illegal weapons, or drugs.”
The Jacksonville Beach Police Department also took to social media to share its gratitude for the work done by JSO and other law enforcement agencies to break up the event and keep the community safe.
“We appreciate their continued support—not just for this event, but throughout the past several weeks as we’ve worked together to address takeover activity and keep our community safe,” Jacksonville Beach police said. “We’re committed to keeping Jacksonville Beach safe—and that takes all of us working together.”
The arrests come as police in our coverage area actively work to prevent teen takeover-style events, such as the one that recently occurred at Blue Cypress Park in Arlington involving over 200 teens, or the one in Jacksonville Beach in February that led to five teens being hit by gunfire.
A teen takeover is a large, loosely organized gathering of juveniles that’s typically promoted on social media and can quickly overwhelm the area where it happens, which can include places like a mall parking lot, a popular park, or even a busy shopping corridor.” in his backpack.
According to arrest reports, the 18-year-old, a Riverside High School student, threw the soda bottle on the ground in front of Sneakers Bar & Grill in Jacksonville Beach around 3 p.m. on Friday.
Police say they noticed the suspect had a backpack and asked him what was inside, to which he replied, “normal beach things.”
The arrest report notes that the arresting officer noticed that the bottom of the backpack “came to a point,” and after the 18-year-old unzipped the main compartment, the pistol was seen and removed from the bag.
The suspect was subsequently taken to jail.
On Monday, JSO said it made 13 arrests, seized over 100 grams of marijuana, and recovered nine guns at a “Senior Skip Day” event in Jacksonville Beach.
The agency noted in its social media post that its officers were made aware of the event by the Jacksonville Beach Police Department, which learned of the event through “online chatter” that appeared similar to recent teen takeovers in the area.
Eight people face felony charges following the arrests, and five more were arrested for misdemeanors, JSO said.
RELATED: ‘Do you know where your kids are?’: JSO warns parents as teen ‘takeover’ events raise concerns | JSO says Saturday night gathering of 600 to 700 young people near Friendship Fountain was part of ‘planned takeover’
“Our teams took a proactive approach to keep everyone safe, looking for suspicious and dangerous behavior,” the agency wrote on social media. “Please enjoy our beaches and public spaces, but don’t bring bad behavior, illegal weapons, or drugs.”
The Jacksonville Beach Police Department also took to social media to share its gratitude for the work done by JSO and other law enforcement agencies to break up the event and keep the community safe.
“We appreciate their continued support—not just for this event, but throughout the past several weeks as we’ve worked together to address takeover activity and keep our community safe,” Jacksonville Beach police said. “We’re committed to keeping Jacksonville Beach safe—and that takes all of us working together.”
The arrests come as police in our coverage area actively work to prevent teen takeover-style events, such as the one that recently occurred at Blue Cypress Park in Arlington involving over 200 teens, or the one in Jacksonville Beach in February that led to five teens being hit by gunfire.
A teen takeover is a large, loosely organized gathering of juveniles that’s typically promoted on social media and can quickly overwhelm the area where it happens, which can include places like a mall parking lot, a popular park, or even a busy shopping corridor.