A 16-year-old was shot in Long Beach after
a chaotic crowd of teens gathered Thursday on the beach, police say. Separate shots were also fired by the LIRR station.
The 16-year-old was shot in the abdomen near Edwards Boulevard and Park Avenue, according to police. The teen is expected to be OK.
Long Beach police were forced to call in help from Nassau County police to remove the massive crowd of teenagers that formed on the beach. Police say fights also broke out around the city.
Long Beach officials announced Friday that passes will now be required daily to get onto the sand and access to the beach will be prohibited from dusk to dawn due to the chaos and gun violence. The city manager will also now have the authority to close the beach at any time.
Acting Long Beach Police Commissioner Richard DePalma says they encountered individuals from Malverne, Elmont, Baldwin, Freeport, Hempstead and parts of Queens.
DePalma says that two people were taken into custody that night, including a 15-year-old who is facing weapons charges.
The acting commissioner says roughly 2,000 people were at the beach, and they believe it may have been a "senior cut day" organized on social media.