On Friday night, May 8, a massive group of teens descended on Tampa’s Curtis Hixon Park for what’s referred to as a “teen takeover,” a trend where young people gather in large numbers and cause general chaos, occasionally leading to fights or property damage.
However, when the Tampa Police Department arrived, they didn’t just disperse the crowd. In total, officers arrested 22 people—18 of them children—and illegally published their names and ages in a press release sent to multiple media outlets.
All of the minors named were Black.
Under Florida statute, the names of minors who commit misdemeanors are confidential and typically not to be released by police unless the minor is charged as an adult or is over 16 and has prior felonies. According to the press release, eight of the children named—including the 12-year-old—were only charged with the misdemeanor crime of “affray,” or being involved in a mutually-consented fight in public.
After Creative Loafing Tampa Bay reached out to TPD for comment at around 3 p.m. on Saturday, officials removed the names of minors from the press release.
When CL pointed out the error, TPD Communications Director Joneé Lewis responded via text message: “You are correct. The names were published in error. The release on the city website is being corrected.”
By then, other news outlets had already picked up the list of names. The Tampa Free Press published the names of minors, where the article was then republished by AOL.
When asked about the intent behind publishing the names in the first place, Lewis said “The names of the juveniles for the misdemeanor offenses were published in error. The message to the community is this behavior isn’t acceptable and is a safety risk to the public.”
Police Chief Lee Bercaw added in the press release, “Unfortunately, the poor decisions made by these 22 individuals last night could have lasting consequences that follow them well into adulthood.”
Florida’s law against releasing the names of arrested minors usually helps to mitigate “lasting consequences” adults might suffer for mistakes they made when they were younger.
While TPD’s release of the information was unlawful, a previous court case found that news organizations cannot be held accountable for republishing juvenile names unlawfully disclosed by the police.
According to the Juvenile Law Center, a youth advocacy organization, disclosing the identities of arrested minors can hurt the kids’ futures and work against their rehabilitation.
“Once disclosed, this information is difficult, if not impossible, to recall and can permanently stigmatize youth,” the article reads, “interfering with their ability to obtain a job, secure housing, pursue higher education, join the military, or access public benefits.”
The article quotes then-associate-director Lourdes Rosado: “The juvenile justice system is intended to rehabilitate youth and prepare them for a productive future, yet our mishandling of juvenile records creates a paper trail that can lead to failure. These records can follow children and youth into adulthood and often limit opportunities for success.”
A large group of teens becoming disorderly isn’t a new phenomenon, but the way it’s spread on social media is. Someone posts a flyer on social media, it spreads and everyone gathers to be part of a large gathering that usually results in some rowdiness and mischief.
The reason for the Friday night arrests vary by person, and some of the youth were in possession of controlled substances at the time. Others, like the 12-year-old, were charged for “affray.”
Some takeover brawls seen on social media appear to be staged fights rather than actual violence, according to a conversation between U.S. police chiefs and the Police Executive Research Forum.
Earlier this month, agency heads discussed how they’re responding to the “takeover” trend. Some of the chiefs compared it to flash mobs from a decade ago, and have implemented curfews. Others make sure police officers are present at these events, and follow any groups that break off from the main conglomerate.
Police in Fairfield, Connecticut failed to get a takeover under control at a carnival last month, resulting in several surrounding businesses temporarily closing their doors and the carnival being cancelled for the remaining two days, according to the PERF interview. Fairfield’s police chief told PERF that the incidents often involved pretend fights or “mini-fights.”
The Tampa Police Department has since updated the press release, removing the names of all minors, but internet archives and news articles still perpetuate their identities.
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This article appears in May 07 – 13, 2026.