On Saturday, July 26th there was a large gathering on the Ocean Park beach near the Lesner Bridge with many people and cars in the parking lot at the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp. On Sunday afternoon, July 27th, OPCL President Danny Murphy sent a request for information to the 3rd Precinct Captain Gordon. This is the response from VBPD and the City Manager’s Office.
“On Saturday evening, at approximately 9:30 PM, a large number of individuals began to park at the Lynnhaven boat ramp and gather on the beach. By 10:00 PM, a concerned citizen reached out to report the event, expressing concerns about the crowd size and the presence of a limited security team. Security personnel confirmed the size of the gathering but indicated that no violations were occurring at that time. Evening shift officers were promptly dispatched to the location to assess the situation. Notably, one responding officer, serving as a School Resource Officer, recognized several attendees as students from the local high school. The estimated attendance was between 100 to 150 teenagers. It appeared that this gathering was not a formal promoted event but rather a spontaneous assembly facilitated through word of mouth among students.“
“Officers conducted a thorough walk-through of the crowd and did not observe any alcohol, narcotics, or other illegal activities. The students were largely engaged in socializing and enjoying the beach environment. To ensure a peaceful atmosphere, additional midnight officers were deployed to reinforce the evening shift due to the number of attendees. The officers communicated to the attendees that it was approaching curfew and advised them to disperse by 11:00 PM. By approximately 10:30 to 10:45 PM, the crowd amicably dispersed without any incidents or legal violations noted.“
“Later that evening, at 11:40 PM, security reported a dispute involving a father and daughter, which prompted officers to respond to address a potential domestic situation at that location.”
This information was given to the OPCL by the VA Beach Police Department and the City Manager. We understand neighbors are concerned, sharing conflicting accounts of what happened. As a result, we have invited a VBPD representative to come to our next meeting. More information to follow
In addition to the police statement, the civic league has received one email which gives a different account of events and two comments to the website which are below in the comments:
Ocean Park Civic League 
Unfortunately, a majority of this recounting is incorrect.
The gathering began closer to 8:30-8:45. Non-emergency police were contacted by multiple neighbors shortly after 9PM. 911 was contacted by 9:11PM. Officers responded closer to 10PM.
Neighbors could easily see alcohol being distributed and consumed in the crowd, with individuals scolding one another to “hide it better” as police arrived.
Weed was prevalent throughout the neighborhood and surrounded the crowd in what looked like a cloud. It was easily identifiable.
Individuals were twerking on top of their cars as music blasted in the American Brew parking lot.
This event was absolute chaos. Nothing about it was legal, respectful, or contained.
We deserve so much better than this, and the placating responses we continue to receive. This is not what anyone should want or accept as the standard for Ocean Park.
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as for the 11:40 incident a father choked and punched his own daughter (14 years old) and wasn’t charge by law enforcement. there were multiple witnesses that were willing to provide a statement but the primary officer allowed the man to leave. I have already filed a complaint on the officer in reference to his behavior.
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