INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

Police Can’t Stop Los Angeles Surfer Gang From Bullying Beach Goers

By Coburn Palmer
Published on: 10:44 PST, Apr 23, 2016

A surfer gang has been harassing outsiders who dare to visit their coveted stretch of Los Angeles coastline for decades, but now a group of lawyers is suing to force the local police to take action.

The Bay Boys, who claim Lunada Bay in the wealthy Palos Verdes Estates neighborhood where the median income is $160,000, have attacked outsiders for years, despite repeated complaints to police, reports the L.A. Times.

“It’s run like an organized crime or racketeering outfit.”

The surfer gang of middle-aged men have been known to throw rocks and dirt clods at outsiders, slash their car tires, and assault them in the water, sometimes coordinating their attacks with walkie talkies.

The Bay Boys are so hostile to outsiders they’ve even driven away off-duty police officers looking to catch a few waves like 44-year-old Cory Spencer, who patrols El Segundo, reports the L.A. Times.

“I worked South Central for the LAPD, but it took time to gain the courage to go down there.”

Lunada Bay is one of the most legendary surfing spots in California with powerful big waves and amazing views of the Pacific Ocean, but this close knit group of surfers has managed to keep the spot to themselves for 30 years. The surfer gang has even gone so far as to build a stone clubhouse on the cliff overlooking the bay — without a permit.

Last year, two reporters from The Guardian used a hidden camera to record the Bay Boys intimidation tactics; they were harassed and threatened by the local surfers when they got in the water and their car was vandalized while they were away. They also recorded local police officers turning a blind eye to their intimidation complaint.

“The reason there’s a lot of space is because we keep it like that. We f***ing hassle people.”

It’s known as surfing localism, where a certain group of surfers declares a particular spot of beach to be their turf and then use the threat of violence to keep outsiders away.

For years victims of the Bay Boys intimidation efforts have complained to local police, but no arrests have been made. The Palos Verdes Estates police officers have been accused of everything from turning a blind eye to outright cooperation with the surfer gang.

Outsiders did make some headway in 1996 when the police department agreed to issue a decree saying the beach was open to everyone, and a Bay Boy was forced to pay $15,000 in damages for injuring someone.

The Palos Verdes Estates police department, however, denies any wrongdoing and told the L.A. Times they were vigilant in protecting both residents and visitors.

“Our police department takes seriously its public safety mission.”

Now, a group of outsider lawyers are suing the surfer gang, local police, and the city of Palos Verdes Estates to try and stop the intimidation efforts and open the beach to the public.

Attorney Kurt A. Franklin and his cohorts are suing in federal court to force the police to use a gang injunction order to prevent members of the Bay Boys from gathering at the beach and require prosecution of their criminal actions, reports the L.A. Times.

“We are being contacted by lots of people — lots of different beachgoers who have had similar experiences.”

New Palos Verdes Estates Police Chief Jeff Kepley has also vowed to crack down on the surfing gang of middle-aged men and put an end to their assaults on outsiders and tear down their stone clubhouse.

So far, no arrests have been made, but Kepley did visit their illegal structure in January and spoke to the 15 surfers there letting them know their reign of localism was at an end, reports The Inertia.

“These guys are doing whatever it is they are doing and it’ll take me 20 to 30 minutes walking all around the bay to get to them and they can see me coming the whole time.”

[Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images]

Share this article: Police Can’t Stop Los Angeles Surfer Gang From Bullying Beach Goers
surfing Los Angeles
More from Inquisitr