Tybee Island’s controversial Orange Cross weekend ended with 26 arrests and the seizure of five guns, including one weapon police had converted into a makeshift machine gun capable of fully automatic fire.
Between Friday, April 17, and Sunday, April 19, the Tybee Island Police Department and the Georgia State Patrol made a total of 26 arrests during the annual Beach Bash, according to preliminary data provided to Fox News Digital by Tybee Island Police Capt. Emory Randolph.
Nineteen of those were made by Tybee Island police and seven by the Georgia State Patrol. The total number of arrests is four more than last year’s incident, when officers made 22 arrests over the weekend. In 2024, 54 were arrested during the Orange Cross and in 2023, 26 were arrested.
Other details of the arrests were not immediately available.
Orange Crush festival returns to Tiby Island, police brace for 50,000 party after teen takeover, shooting
Known this year as Crush Reloaded, the main event is set for Saturday with a music festival at the Tybee Island Beach Pier and Pavilion.
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Police also handed out 100 traffic citations over a three-day period, including 49 issued by Tybee Island officers and 51 by state troopers.
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During the same period, the island’s 911 center handled 297 calls for service, Randolph said.
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Branded this year as “Crush Reloaded,” the annual event returned to Tybee Island over the weekend, and organizers said online it was being promoted as “The Biggest HBCU Beach Bash is Back” and more than 50,000 people were expected.
WATCH: Tybee Island Mayor Says Orange Crush Reloaded Is No Longer ‘Devastating’
Tybee Island Mayor Brian West told Fox News Digital that the city’s security approach closely mirrors what officials have used in recent years.
“It’s a lot like what we did last year. It looks like we might have more people this year, but we put a safety protocol in place three years ago that seems to be very effective. And that’s what we’ve seen for the last three years,” West told Fox News Digital.
West said authorities brought in help from agencies across the region and state, including the Georgia State Patrol, Department of Natural Resources, Motor Carrier Division, Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, Chatham County Police Department and Tybee Island’s own police force.
Video shows panicked spring break crowds fleeing beach hotspots after reports of shootings over the weekend
West said the stepped-up security measures followed problems in 2023, when he said people who weren’t college students came to the event and brought “drugs and guns.”
“We had a really bad situation in 2023. And what happened was we had a lot of people who came to this event who weren’t college students. They were older people who were trying to take advantage of groups, and they were bringing drugs and guns,” West said. “And with the security that we put in place, we’ve been able to filter those people out. And so now we have college students here, and it’s more of a spring break type group than a destructive type group.”
He also said that since the students organized it for entertainment, the event was run more smoothly by city leaders.
“It works really well when we work together and do some kind of activity for the students. In the past, when they just showed up, they had to make their own fun. And sometimes that fun wasn’t really a good thing to do,” West said. “So when there’s activity, when there’s a band, when there’s something to keep their attention, it works very well.”
WATCH: Orange Cross CEO says event ‘rebranded’ with help from police, city
Orange Cross Reloaded CEO Steven Smalls told Fox News Digital that the program is meant to give college students a place to celebrate safely.
“It’s more about college students than anything to come out and have a good time and focus on graduation coming up in May. It’s a college-based thing and hopefully in the future I’ll be able to give back some student loan relief and hopefully one day help the students of SSU (Savannah State University). Give one of these kids a scholarship, if I do good to the college community,” if you make the college good.
Smalls said the rebranded program and collaboration with city officials helped create a better environment for participants.
WATCH: Illegal street racing ‘takeover’ explodes as hundreds swarm streets and suspect bolt
“It’s a rebrand. I think it’s probably the best thing. I love the way the relationship has been built, and I understand what they’re going through, and they understand what I’m going through. And working together, it’s exactly what you see today,” Smalls said.
He also argued that organized festivals help channelize the crowd.
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“If I didn’t do this, they would be popping out here. There would be no noise, no entertainment. It’s nothing for them, it would just push them out. So I bring entertainment and I’m here, they come out here to have fun. Police presence, that helps you stay safe,” Smalls said.
Known for drawing large crowds to the small Georgia beach town, Orange Cross has long caused controversy among residents and law enforcement in the past due to violence, arrests and littering.
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Ahead of this year’s festival, Tybee Island officials said they are stepping up enforcement and preparing for an influx of visitors, as local concerns over public safety and so-called “teen takeovers” have been reported across the country and in the region.
“Rest assured that we hear you and public safety will always be our top priority,” Randolph previously told Fox News Digital when asked about residents’ concerns over the incident.
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Beginning Thursday before the festival weekend, residents and visitors noticed an increased law enforcement presence from various local and state agencies across the island. Authorities have also opened a road safety checkpoint on Highway 80, drawn emergency lanes on major roads and closed the 14th and 16th street parking lots in an effort to maintain order.
WATCH: Teen Takeover in Georgia Caught on Camera
On April 4, police said hundreds of teenagers gathered at a private pop-up event area near the Tybee Island Pier and Pavilion were interrupted by gunfire.
Authorities said they heard a single gunshot around 6:30 p.m., sending the crowd running.
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Orange Cross’s reputation as a rowdy, crime-ridden weekend dates back decades and dates back to the early 1990s.
The festival later moved to Jacksonville, Florida in 2021, citing issues including limited parking, lack of resources and perceived civil rights concerns, before returning to Tybee Island in 2023 for the first time since 2023.
Original article source: Orange Cross Beach Blowout Trap 26 Arrested, Police Seize Makeshift Machine Gun As Large Crowd Tests Crackdown
