The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department shut down a “swingers” party as part of a crackdown on superspreader events as coronavirus cases soar.
The “adults only” event with middle-aged partygoers got busted at a South Central Los Angeles warehouse over the weekend, KTTV reported Tuesday.
“The party is over,” a Los Angeles sheriff’s deputy told partygoers using the loudspeakers.
The department’s superspreader task force detained and cited hundreds of people.
KTLA reported Tuesday that a total of 182 people were arrested on Saturday alone as the sheriff’s department is cracking down on superspreader events that could exacerbate the spread of the coronavirus.
Two people were arrested for allegedly promoting the events while 180 people were arrested for going against health orders, the sheriff’s department tweeted.
The sheriff’s department formed a superspreader task force to enforce Los Angeles County’s public health orders regarding the coronavirus pandemic.
The task force has been kept busy since its formation. On New Year’s Eve, the task force shut down five events and arrested 90 people, KTLA reported.
“I have made it clear that we will seek out and take law enforcement action against all ‘Super-Spreader’ events occurring anywhere within Los Angeles County,” Sheriff Alex Villanueva said at the time. “The goal of these enforcement actions is to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and the risk to our vulnerable populations.”
The county’s coronavirus cases continue to surge, reaching 932,697 total cases and 12,387 deaths as of Monday.