54 spring breakers arrested at Savannah beach party amid booze-filled brawls, beach completely trashed
This year’s “Orange Crush,” Tybee Island’s annual spring break celebration, lived up to its wild reputation. In an effort to control the boisterous crowds, local law enforcement issued over 100 citations for disorderly conduct and made 54 arrests.
The revelers weren’t afraid to make their impression. Authorities found a car and stolen weapons, and beach clean-up teams cleared the revelers’ massive piles of trash. Online videos showed fistfights breaking out between the beachgoers, according to AJC.
Officials at Tybee Island expressed cautious optimism despite the chaos. In part because of tighter security, fewer people were arrested this year than in prior ones. The island’s meager police force was reinforced by more than a hundred extra officers from different agencies.
According to WJCL, even students from Savannah State University, whose campus is close by, helped clean up the mess. Due to safety concerns, the university broke its connection with the event in the early 1990s, but the tradition has continued.
Mayor Brian West of Tybee Island commended the community’s readiness and thanked volunteers for their help, while acknowledging the ongoing problem of litter. He stressed that the majority of people in the crowd were responsible and had a good time during spring break.
Spring breakers also descended upon Savannah, Georgia, causing downtown to temporarily close its streets. Nonetheless, due to established protocols, Mayor Van Johnson, a former Orange Crush event organizer, reported a successful weekend.
Johnson is a Savannah State alumnus who even made new friends and gained the moniker “OC OG” as a result of his prior participation in the event.
