Police Crash Party at Mall Parking Lot in Simi Valley, Arrest 33

Simi Valley police said they hope the arrest of 33 teen-agers and young adults Saturday has put an end to large outdoor parties that have attracted hundreds of youths to a Mervyn’s shopping center parking lot recently.

The parking lot in the 2800 block of Cochran Street has been a gathering point for as many as 500 partying young people from Simi Valley and surrounding areas, including the San Fernando Valley and Thousand Oaks, for the last several weekends, Sgt. Ken Tacke said.

Tacke said the parties started after stores closed at 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday night and the parking lot was empty. The youths probably chose the parking lot as a party site because it is not near a residential area and was less likely to be noticed, he said.

Litter Prompted Crackdown

But complaints from several business people in the area about ankle-deep litter, including beer bottles and other debris in the parking lot, prompted police to investigate, Tacke said. Officers said they found the parties had led to acts of vandalism, narcotics offenses, drunken minors, drunk drivers, drag racing, traffic accidents and the overturning of parked vehicles.

When “monitoring and other traditional approaches” failed to dampen the spirits of the youths, Tacke said, police took “more aggressive enforcement action.” Ten officers crashed Saturday’s party, at which attendance was about 250, somewhat less than normal, police noted.

The invading officers arrested 16 young adults and 17 juveniles between 9 a.m. and midnight, police said. The 33 were arrested on various charges, including public drunkenness, drunk driving, marijuana possession and being a minor in possession of alcohol.

Some adults were taken to the Ventura County sheriff’s jail, Tacke said. Others who had committed lesser offenses were cited and released at the scene. Juveniles arrested were released to their parents.

“If last night’s operation doesn’t prove to solve the problem,” Tacke said, police will continue “supplemental enforcement as warranted.”