HOME / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

What is Adrian's Kickback? 149 arrested at viral TikTok party for hurling rocks, bottles at Huntington Beach cops

121 adults and 28 minors were arrested for arson, unlawfully setting fireworks, failing to disperse and breaking curfews

An 'unruly' crowd of at least 2,500 teenagers hurled fireworks, bottles and rocks at officers in Huntington Beach, according to police in Southern California, as a party promoted on TikTok erupted into anarchy and vandalism.

After refusing to disperse, law enforcement officers declared an illegal assembly and detained about 150 people. According to the Orange County Register, the huge gathering started with a now-deleted video posted on the popular social media app by a user called adrian.lopez517, who invited everyone to his birthday party by Huntington Beach's fire pits Saturday night on May 21. The post went viral throughout the week.

READ MORE

'Womanizer' Bill Gates had 'wild' naked pool parties with strippers during early Microsoft days: Biographer

Malia Obama, boyfriend attend 'wild' party in London that included marijuana, tequila and a smashed window

What is Adrian's Kickback?

Adrian's Kickback had become a trending term on TikTok as an upcoming event. The hashtag #adrianskickback has over 18 million views on TikTok, and the hashtag #adrianskickback is full of content related to the famous event.

TikTok user with the handle @adrian.lopez517 posted a video invitation to an event called "Adrian's Kickback." The event was to take place at Huntington Beach, specifically at the firepits, on May 22nd at 7:30 pm. The event has gotten a lot of attention, with over 700,000 views. On TikTok, the hashtag 'AdriansKickBack' has received over 234 million views.

TikToker TheSyncUp, posted videos that appeared to be from Saturday night, May 22, showing the beach in chaos. The video showed people climbing flagpoles, crowding the roads and jumping off what appears to be an elevated road. The video also shows a line of police officers.

Who is the real Adrian?

As the trend grows, several people are pretending to be Adrian, causing viewers to wonder who he is. As his first TikTok upload, @adrian.lopez517 uploaded the kickback invite. After that, the same user claiming to be Adrian duetted a famous video. The video, which has over one million views, is flooded with comments from people who are overjoyed that the real Adrian may have been discovered

Why were people arrested?

According to police Lt. Brian Smith, at least 400 people gathered around a lifeguard tower as early as Friday, May 21, evening. Officers declared an illegal assembly when people in the crowd started shooting off fireworks near the fire pits, he said, and the partygoers dispersed, according to the Daily Mail.

"It's the first lit party since COVID," one partygoer told a New York Times reporter.TikTok videos of the two nights appear to show hundreds of people on Huntington Beach, walking both through the streets and on the beach. Other videos show people saying they had flown to California to attend the kickback.

The next day, the Huntington Beach Police Department warned on Twitter that they were expecting an increase in visitors as a result of the advertised party and that they would enforce local laws such as no alcohol or drug use on the beach and no fireworks. On Saturday, May 22 evening, however, there was an even larger audience. People started arriving at 6.30 pm for a party advertised to begin at 7.30 pm. 

At least 2,500 people gathered at the beach before heading to the downtown area, according to police. Officers wearing riot helmets close streets to monitor the crowd and, in some cases, fire less-lethal bullets, according to video footage from the scene. Bottles, bricks, and fireworks were thrown at officers, according to police. According to police, 121 adults and 28 minors were arrested for arson, unlawfully setting fireworks, failing to disperse, and breaking curfews.

An emergency curfew was put into place at Huntington Beach and was effective through to May 23, 5.30 am.