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LOS ANGELES — Nearly 160 people were arrested during the weekend at an illegal party in Los Angeles County, where coronavirus cases are surging, authorities said.
The Saturday night raid on a location in the high desert city of Palmdale came after Sheriff Alex Villanueva vowed to crack down on “super-spreader events.”
Villanueva planned to discuss details of the law enforcement action a press conference Tuesday.
A brief Sheriff’s Department advisory said a total of 158 people were arrested.
“These types of parties typically involve drugs, alcohol, weapons, minors, and prostitution,” it said. “Additionally, this criminal behavior is occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
KTTV Fox 11 reported the party was promoted on social media by a 17-year-old who has organized similar recent parties in the cities of Pomona and Ontario.
“Since March we have continued to focus on education and voluntary compliance regarding health orders,” the sheriff tweeted last week. “Moving forward, we will additionally be conducting targeted enforcement on super-spreader events.”