The recent shooting of a teenager in Florida, as well as a killing in Illinois and multiple arrests and injuries in other states such as New Hampshire and Virginia, have brought a spotlight on a new phenomenon: teen takeovers.
A teen takeover is an event young people plan in spaces like malls, beaches and parks. Organizers often post flyers on Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and in group chats, according to police and Jacksonville’s Florida Times-Union, part of the USA TODAY Network. Crowds can reach the hundreds and lead to fights and, in some cases, shootings.
Local authorities are urging young people to think twice about participating in such “takeovers” as they gain more attention across the United States. U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said in a news release on May 15 that during these takeovers, teens often assault people and sometimes each other, commit robberies and carry out other disorderly behavior.
“Teen takeovers have disrupted neighborhoods, forced businesses to close temporarily, and diverted valuable law enforcement resources from the residents of the District,” Pirro said in the release.
While local authorities say these takeovers are a problem, legal experts say they’re being sensationalized in media reports and online.
“In so many of these instances, we are sensationalizing teenagers, often lower-income children of color who are taking over, if you will, or visiting gentrified neighborhoods,” said Kristin Henning, a professor at Georgetown Law Center who directs the law school’s Juvenile Justice Clinic and Initiative, speaking to NPR in mid-May.
Here’s more on teen takeovers and where they’ve happened in the United States.
Teen takeovers are events where teenagers make plans to hang out and socialize at beaches, malls and other public spots in large numbers. The teens organizing the events often make posters and promote the takeovers on social media, inviting even more people to attend.
In Georgia’s Henry County, teens planned an “Urban Air Takeover” from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on March 7, 2026, police said in a press release. The teens distributed a poster to promote the event.
More recently, organizers in Texas planned “The Woodlands Mall Takeover.” It was slated for 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, May 23. Organizers on the event poster promised music, energy and “good times,” and asked viewers to like the post and share it to their social media stories.
In March 2025, KSNV-TV spoke to Timothy Jeider, a child, adolescent and general psychiatrist at Nevada Mental Health, who said social media plays a role in these events and how they happen. He encouraged parents to be more involved with their kids so they know what they’re up to.
“If your kid spends eight hours on a phone every day, your phone’s raising your kid, not you,” he told KSNV-TV.
Jeider also listed some tips for parents who want to make sure their kids aren’t part of these takeovers. Tips include:
While teen takeovers have made headlines across the U.S. in recent months, criminal justice organizations say arrests among young people are declining.
The number of arrests of people under 18 years old peaked in 1995, but that number has dropped more than 75% since, according to the Washington, DC-based advocacy center, the Sentencing Project. The group, whose goal is to end mass incarceration and address racial disparities in the criminal justice system, said most youth arrests are for non-violent offenses.
Arrests among youth increased between 2021 and 2023, then fell in 2024, the Sentencing Project said on its website. In 2024, 8.5% of youth arrests were for offenses the Federal Bureau of Investigation categorizes as violent crimes (aggravated assault, robbery, rape and murder).
Henning, from the Georgetown Law Center, told NPR in May that during teen gatherings in Washington, DC, two to eight kids are arrested on each occasion.
Henning added that the number of teen arrests in April and March was low. At one March gathering, two young people were arrested, then in April, there were about eight arrests, Henning said. Between these two events, five of the arrests were due to assault on a police officer, the professor said.
“This is not a situation where a child is running over and initiating an assault on a police officer,” she added. “These are … encounters that escalate from zero to a hundred, whether it’s verbal threats or resistance.”
Teen takeovers have occurred in multiple states throughout the United States over the past few years, including Florida, Illinois, New Hampshire, Washington, DC, Virginia and Michigan.
Most recently, on Sunday, May 31, in Clearwater, Florida, a 17-year-old was shot during a teen takeover at the beach and taken to the hospital. Although the teenager’s injuries were considered non-life-threatening, the individual was taken to the hospital as a trauma alert, Clearwater Deputy Police Chief Michael Walek said at a news conference.
“Groups of kids were running around … and we addressed that,” he said, later adding that social media has made these events much larger than they used to be.
“It’s all organized through social media,” Walek said at Sunday’s news conference. “Instead of one person telling another person, now one person’s telling hundreds of people.”
Other more recent teen takeovers have been reported in:
The Tampa Police Department said in a June 2 statement to USA TODAY that teen takeovers are impacting cities nationwide, creating “unsafe conditions” and sometimes leading to property damage. The department, on May 12, hosted a “Takeover with a Purpose” event as a “safe alternative for teens.” The department also said it hosts basketball events each Friday, and the city offers programs for young people throughout the summer months.
Henning, of Georgetown Law Center, also told NPR one way to prevent teen takeovers that turn violent is to ensure young people have positive things to do.
“The more successful strategy is creating,” she said. “It’s creating positive spaces for young people to hang out … I want to give a shoutout to the Department of Parks and Recreation for their teen night outs. Also, another positive response is outreach teams, youth outreach teams.”
Contributing: C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida; Mike Stunson and Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY; Max Sullivan, Portsmouth Herald; Scott Butler, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s trending team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.
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