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BREAK IT UP
Spring Break chaos erupts in Florida as students twerk & cops forced to pull revelers off beach hours before shooting
Hare Krishnas welcomed Spring Breakers into the fray as party raged on the beach
SPRING Break organizers in Daytona Beach were expecting a quiet weekend.
But they didn’t anticipate that a pop-up party, which went viral on social media, would create one unforgettable event on Saturday — and almost end in tragedy after an afternoon of serious partying by the ocean.
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PARTY TIME
The U.S. Sun headed to the legendary student party destination, dubbed the world’s Spring Break capital by MTV in the ’90s, despite being told by one official party company that the area would “be dead.”
It was anything but.
Hundreds of revelers responded to a social media influencer known as Strictly Ray and flooded the sands for hours.
Ray had booked a permit for a gathering on the beach but didn’t expect so many people to show up.
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Students from Florida, Atlanta, North Carolina, and beyond converged on Daytona to truly let their hair down.
“People are chilling, socializing, everyone is having fun,” Ray told The U.S. Sun. “This could be one of the biggest beach days ever.”
One lifeguard, who spoke to The U.S. Sun, said the pop-up was one of the largest he’d ever seen.
Some officers and members of law enforcement happily posed for pictures while others assisted one partygoer who had a seizure on the beach.
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However, tensions began to rise as the 6 p.m. curfew approached.
Sirens blared as officers — who remained calm while everyone else was in full-blown party mode — began to push people off the beach and into nearby bars, asserting their authority.
A false alarm, triggered by a rumor that someone was preparing to use a firearm, caused a brief stampede that thankfully subsided quickly.
Yet around 7:30 pm, local police confirmed a shooting on the boardwalk, which left two people injured.
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HUGE CROWDS
In the preceding hours, however, one part of Daytona Beach had been transformed into Spring Break central.
“When we saw the party advertised on Instagram, we decided to come straight away,” said 19 year-old student Enaysia Hall.
“My friend goes to Bethune–Cookman University, which is nearby. We wanted to see what it’s all about — and we’re having a good time.”
As the party raged, just a two-minute walk along the beach, another gathering drew an equally excitable crowd who, like the boozed-up students, were loving life.
The vibe, however, was somewhat different.
A local branch of Hare Krishnas was gleefully singing their mantras and dancing like there was no tomorrow. Intrigued by the blaring music, some of the Spring Breakers even joined in, creating a beautiful collision of cultures.
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A wonderfully colorful caravan, which housed the sound system and some of the organizers, was, according to one of the Hare Krishnas, representing “love.”
“We are pulling it into our hearts,” Florida-based believer Jonathan Zhakza, 36, told The U.S. Sun.
“This is a tradition that is thousands of years old, but to see the students coming over to us to enjoy this moment is beautiful. The love is for everybody.”
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Strictly Ray, who estimates he attracted over 500 people to Daytona, is already planning his next party after Saturday’s unexpected success.
“It was great to see everyone having a good time,” he said. “Maybe next time we’ll do this at a waterpark. Watch this space.”
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