Orange Crush beach blowout nets 26 arrests, cops seize makeshift machine gun as massive crowd tests crackdown

Tybee Island’s arguable Orange Crush play ended with 26 arrests and 5 firearms seized, including 1 limb constabulary accidental had been converted into a makeshift instrumentality weapon susceptible of afloat automatic fire.

Between Friday, April 17, and Sunday, April 19, the Tybee Island Police Department and Georgia State Patrol made a full of 26 arrests during the yearly formation bash, according to preliminary figures provided to Fox News Digital by Tybee Island Police Capt. Emory Randolph.

Of those arrests, 19 were made by Tybee Island constabulary and 7 were made by the Georgia State Patrol. The full marks 4 much arrests than past year’s event, erstwhile authorities made 22 arrests implicit the weekend. There were 54 arrests during Orange Crush successful 2024 and 26 successful 2023.

No different details connected the arrests were instantly available.

ORANGE CRUSH FESTIVAL RETURNS TO TYBEE ISLAND AS POLICE BRACE FOR 50,000 PARTIERS AFTER TEEN TAKEOVER, GUNFIRE

Known arsenic Crush Reloaded this year, the main lawsuit is scheduled for Saturday with a euphony festival astatine the Tybee Island formation pier and pavilion. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)

Police besides handed retired 100 postulation citations implicit the three-day span, with 49 issued by Tybee Island officers and 51 by authorities troopers.

During the aforesaid period, the island’s 911 halfway handled 297 calls for service, Randolph said.

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The yearly lawsuit branded this twelvemonth arsenic "Crush Reloaded," returned to Tybee Island implicit the play with organizers promoting it online arsenic "THE BIGGEST HBCU BEACH BASH IS BACK" and saying much than 50,000 radical were expected.

WATCH: Tybee Island politician says Orange Crush Reloaded is nary longer 'destructive'

Tybee Island Mayor Brian West told Fox News Digital the city’s information attack intimately mirrored what authorities person utilized successful caller years.

"It's beauteous akin to what we did past year. It looks similar we mightiness person much radical this year, but we enactment successful a information protocol 3 years agone that seems to beryllium beauteous effective. And it's beauteous overmuch what we've seen for the past 3 years now," West told Fox News Digital.

West said authorities brought successful assistance from agencies crossed the portion and the 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 ain constabulary force.

Law enforcement officers ticker from the pavilion arsenic DNR rides done the assemblage connected ATVs during Crush Reloaded, formerly known arsenic Orange Crush astatine Tybee Island, Ga connected Saturday, April 18, 2026. (Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

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West said the stepped-up information measures followed problems successful 2023, erstwhile helium said radical who were not assemblage students came to the lawsuit and brought "drugs and guns."

"We had a truly atrocious concern successful 2023. And what happened was we had a batch of radical that came to this lawsuit that weren't assemblage students. They were older radical that were trying to instrumentality vantage of the group, and they were bringing drugs and guns," West said. "And with the information that we enactment successful place, we've been capable to filter those radical out. And truthful present we person assemblage students that are here, and it's much of a outpouring interruption benignant radical than it is simply a destructive benignant group."

Spring breakers airs for a photograph during Crush Reloaded, formerly known arsenic Orange Crush astatine Tybee Island, Ga connected Saturday, April 18, 2026. (Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

He besides said metropolis leaders person recovered the lawsuit runs much smoothly erstwhile students person organized entertainment.

"It truly works overmuch amended erstwhile we enactment unneurotic and person immoderate benignant of enactment for the students to do. In the past, erstwhile they conscionable showed up, they kinda had to marque their ain fun. And sometimes that amusive truly wasn't the champion happening to beryllium doing," West said. "So erstwhile there's an activity, erstwhile determination is simply a band, erstwhile determination are things to support their attention, it works overmuch better."

WATCH: CEO of Orange Crush says lawsuit is 'rebranded' with collaboration with police, city

Orange Crush Reloaded CEO Steven Smalls likewise told Fox News Digital the lawsuit is intended to springiness assemblage students a spot to observe safely.

"It's astir the assemblage students much than thing to travel retired and person a bully clip and absorption connected the graduation that's coming up successful May. It's a college-based happening and hopefully successful the aboriginal I'm capable to springiness backmost to immoderate pupil indebtedness alleviation and hopefully 1 time assistance 1 of SSU (Savannah State University) students. Give 1 of these kids a assistance if I bash bully retired here, you know, conscionable enactment backmost towards the assemblage community," Smalls said.

Smalls said the rebranded lawsuit and practice with metropolis officials helped make a amended situation for attendees.

Law enforcement officers support a watchful oculus arsenic partyers stitchery during Crush Reloaded, formerly known arsenic Orange Crush astatine Tybee Island, Ga connected Saturday, April 18, 2026. (© Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

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"This is the rebrand. I deliberation that's astir apt the champion happening that happened. I emotion the mode the narration is built, and I recognize what they got going on, and they recognize what I person going on. And moving together, it became conscionable close present what you spot today," Smalls said.

He besides argued that the organized festival helps transmission the crowds.

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"If I wasn't doing this, past they would conscionable beryllium popping retired here. There wouldn't beryllium nary sound, nary entertainment. It wouldn't thing for them to do, it'd conscionable beryllium them being truthful pushed out. So maine bringing the amusement and maine being here, they travel retired present to person fun. The constabulary presence, that helps you beryllium safe," Smalls said.

Performers interact with dancers during Crush Reloaded, formerly known arsenic Orange Crush astatine Tybee Island, Ga connected Saturday, April 18, 2026. (Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Known for drafting monolithic crowds to the tiny Georgia formation town, Orange Crush has agelong stirred contention among residents and instrumentality enforcement due to the fact that of past violence, arrests and trash near down successful its wake.

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Ahead of this year’s festivities, Tybee Island officials said they were heightening enforcement and preparing for an influx of visitors, arsenic section concerns grew implicit nationalist information and alleged "teen takeovers" that person been reported astir the state and successful the region.

"Rest assured that we person heard you and that nationalist information volition ever beryllium our apical priority," Randolph antecedently told Fox News Digital erstwhile asked astir residents’ concerns implicit the event.

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Beginning Thursday earlier the festival weekend, residents and visitors saw an accrued instrumentality enforcement beingness from assorted section and authorities agencies crossed the island. Authorities besides launched a roadworthy information checkpoint connected Highway 80, carved retired exigency lanes connected main roads and closed the 14th and 16th Street parking tons successful an effort to support order.

WATCH: Teen takeover successful Georgia caught connected camera

On April 4, constabulary said an unpermitted pop-up lawsuit adjacent the Tybee Island Pier and Pavilion was interrupted by gunfire aft hundreds of teens gathered successful the area.

Officers said they heard a azygous gunshot astir 6:30 p.m., sending the assemblage running.

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Orange Crush dates backmost decades and earned a estimation successful the aboriginal 1990s arsenic a rowdy, crime-filled weekend.

The festival aboriginal moved to Jacksonville, Florida, successful 2021, citing issues including constricted parking, deficiency of resources and alleged civilian rights concerns, earlier returning to Tybee Island successful 2023 for the archetypal clip since 2020.