161 people were arrested during what some social media groups were calling "PCB Takeover" at Panama City Beach over the weekend.
Bay County Sheriff's Office posted on Facebook about the arrests at events like house parties, spontaneous parties in parking lots and concerts.
The majority of the arrests made by Bay County Sheriff's Office were for illegal firearms charges, as 75 firearms were seized by law enforcement.
“We will not tolerate this criminal activity. These are behaviors that we as a community have fought before, won, and moved on to become a premier family destination,” Sheriff Tommy Ford said. “To anyone coming to Panama City Beach to commit criminal acts with an intent to “Takeover” our beach, we will continue the good fight, and dedicate whatever resources necessary to keep Bay County safe. We are united with the support of our elected officials and our community for the resources we need. I assure you; it will not be a “REAL FUN BEACH” inside the Bay County Jail. If you come here to act like a criminal, we will treat you like one.”
The sheriff said technology and intelligence were used to target trouble spots and spontaneous crowds. The Bay Real Time Operations Center (BayROC), a joint venture between all law enforcement agencies in Bay County, was a game changer according to the sheriff. For example, based on specific intelligence, law enforcement raided a house party with some of the main promoters in attendance. At this party, people with firearms were arrested and the attendees were evicted by the homeowner. BayROC also communicated with law enforcement agencies in the hometowns of some “PCB Takeover” attendees and were able to specifically target and disrupt activities.
Of the 161 people arrested over the weekend, 78 were from Alabama.
Overall, Bay County Sheriff's Office responded to 859 calls for service over the weekend, with 548 of those coming from beach zones.
