The birthday party of a California teen in Huntington Beach that became an overcrowded mess thanks to a viral TikTok invitation is now worrying local law enforcement and officials who are concerned they aren’t prepared to handle a repeat event.

The bash, which was known as “Adrian’s kickback,” went viral on the social media platform and was attended by 2,500 teens. However, Interim Police Chief Julian Harvey revealed he plans to take steps to “minimize the potential for incidents such as this to happen again in the future,” by working with reps from social media platforms like TikTok.

Harvey wants to develop ways social media platforms and law enforcement can work together to avoid crowds and chaos similar to the events of “Adrian’s kickback.”

The incident took place last week when 17-year-old Adrian Lopez made a digital birthday invitation on TikTok. The teen shared the party’s date, time, and location while inviting viewers to “Slide thru this Saturday we finna turn up!!!!”

City Councilman Dan Kalmick later slammed the event and expressed his concern about how the community isn’t prepared to deal with similar incidents.

“It goes to the fact that government isn’t structured to deal with an amorphous entity of folks,” he said.

“This wasn’t like a concert where we could talk to a promoter and issue a permit. When you have folks who don’t have a command or control structure, how does a city or police department manage that? I’m just not sure.”

Over 175 people were arrested following the birthday bash. It took hours, rubber bullets, and pepper projectiles before cops were finally able to break up the crowd. Party guests also damaged local businesses, graffitied the area, and set off fireworks.

A yoga session in Miami Beach, Florida -- a stark contrast to the late-night party scene that has forced police to impose a curfew
A yoga session in Miami Beach, Florida -- a stark contrast to the late-night party scene that has forced police to impose a curfew AFP / CHANDAN KHANNA
RELATED STORIES