Police have promised to crack down on the use of violence and intimidation by Southern Californian surfers trying to defend their favorite surf spots, according to the LA Times. Known as the "Bay Boys", a group of local surfers have become well known for their aggressive territorial measures designed to keep strangers away from Lunada Bay in Palos Verdes, according to the LA Times.
The Bay Boys, who are largely reported to be middle-aged men, have been involved in numerous types of intimidation techniques towards non-local surfers and other perceived intruders, including throwing rocks and making threats, according to the LA Times.
Car vandalism, threats and confrontation in the water are just some of the risks undertaken by non-locals who try and ignore the warnings to stay away, according to The Guardian.
Local police have been accused of turning a blind eye to the gang-like activity, but Palos Verdes Estates' new police chief Jeff Kepley has promised a renewed effort to make arrests and stop the violence, according to My San Antonio.
"I'm not so naïve to believe that we can solve this instantly or overnight," Kepley said, according to the LA Times, "but I think it's very important to get the word out as aggressively and enthusiastically as we can that the status quo is going to be mixed up around here."
The Bay Boys are infamous within the local community, with a police dispatcher telling a Guardian reporter "they are infamous around here... It literally is like a game with kids on a schoolyard to them, and they don't want you playing on their swing set."
While the police have promised to take action against the Bay Boys' activities, there is some doubt as to whether they are serious about it. Non-local surfer Sef Krell claimed that his complaint concerning Bay Boys harassment was not properly followed up by detectives, according to the LA Times.
"Doing a drive-by [when] there aren't any waves isn't going to do anything," Krell told the LA Times, "They need to do what any other police departments do: real field investigations with suspect descriptions and names and phone numbers."
