Three kids were reportedly arrested in Salinas, California, in what police are calling “a social media mob.”
The kids arrested were charged with “several crimes to include felony evading,” says the Salinas Police on Facebook on Tuesday. According to the post, police were called to find “a group of 25-30 kids riding recklessly and blocking major intersections.”
Video footage posted by the Salinas Police Department shows the group of kids crowding the street and popping wheelies.
Police obtained a Go-Pro from one of the boys arrested. The action camera contains video evidence of the other “15-20 kids involved” and authorities intend to go through it to identify and charge the others.
“One of the juveniles who was arrested was determined to be the organizer of these events. He was also charged with conspiracy and his GoPro camera was seized.” Salinas Police said on Facebook.
What this is is a social media mob. They’re gathering with a plan. They’re challenging each other, escalating their behavior, and it’s evolved into criminal activity,” Salinas Police Chief John Murray told KSBW 8 in an interview. (RELATED: California Police Department Replaces Suspects’ Faces With Lego Heads)
Sergeant Zachary Dunagan of the Salinas Police Department spoke with KSBW 8 in an interview regarding the errant kids.
“When it escalates to bicycle riders going at vehicles on purpose, blocking major intersections, vandalizing vehicles, challenging motorists, robberies, riding their bikes on the freeway, it’s causing car accidents,” he said.
We’ve now moved from educating the kids and their parents, to issuing citations, making arrests, and seizing the bicycles,” Chief Murray told KSBW 8.
Even the mayor of Salinas, Kimbley Craig, has stated that it is time to take action against the cycling kids, according to the outlet.
“Parents can either get mad at us for citing kids on bikes, or they’re going to get even more mad when we haven’t done anything and the kids get killed,” she said.