Spring Breakers Descend on Miami Beach, Hurt Cops

Spring breakers have descended upon Miami Beach despite the coronavirus pandemic, and two police officers in the Florida city were hurt Friday night as they worked to disperse large crowds. Both were released Saturday morning, NBC News reports. About 100 partyers were arrested over the weekend, CNN reports, one of them a 19-year-old accused of inciting a riot. Police were trying to break up a 200-strong crowd blocking a roadway, and the teen is accused of yelling obscenities, pushing an officer to the ground, and grabbing an officer's vest as he was being handcuffed, requiring two other officers to step in. Another person is accused of beating an elderly homeless man with a chair.

Photos and videos posted to social media show large throngs gathering, sans masks, throughout the city and on beaches. Florida does not have a statewide mask mandate, nor capacity limits or other restrictions aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19. Cases in the state have ticked up over the past five days after previously having been on a decline, and public health experts have warned that spring breakers ignoring social distancing recommendations could cause an increase in infections. Arrests have been made for charges ranging from drugs to weapons, per Local 10, to dancing on police cars and fighting in the streets. Police are working 12-hour shifts. (More Miami Beach stories.)