VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — City leaders in Virginia Beach approved an "imminent threat curfew" for minors every Friday and Saturday through April.
Under the new rule, anyone under 18 will not be allowed to be out without an adult past 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays in a designated area of the Oceanfront.
The curfew applies specifically to the area from Rudee Loop to 31st Street and west to Pacific Avenue. Outside of that zone, the city’s existing juvenile curfew remains in place.
The curfew ends at 5 a.m. on those days.
Currently, the citywide curfew is 11 p.m., but it is scheduled to change to 10 p.m. beginning March 19.
Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate said officers plan to focus on compliance rather than immediate enforcement as the new rule begins.
“We are going to ease into this,” Neudigate said. “We’re not going to start making immediate detentions and arrests. We are looking for compliance. We’re going to do a lot of warnings, a lot of requests — pretty much what we do every busy weekend at the Oceanfront managing crowds.”
City Councilman Worth Remick said leaders have spoken with some local businesses about the measure.
“They are supportive of this,” Remick said. “They are not thrilled with it, but it ends at the end of April, so it’s not the entire season. We’ve got to get control of the Oceanfront, and I think this is a great tool to do that.”
The curfew change comes after Virginia Beach police announced two additional arrests connected to a shooting at the Oceanfront last weekend that injured 6 people.
Police said Jamari Horton, 22, and Andrew Anthony, 19, were arrested and face several charges. They join Matheus Cavalcante, 18, who had already been charged in connection with the incident.
On Tuesday, Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate argued that the city should adopt an "imminent threat curfew" in the aftermath of a shooting that left six hurt at the Oceanfront Saturday night. He initially proposed that the new curfew be in place for the remaining weekends in March; however, council members discussed possibly extending the curfew through April.
Watch related coverage: Two additional men arrested in connection with VB Oceanfront shooting that hurt six
"It's not about mass arrest, it's not about penalizing a certain group, it's about keeping everyone safe — and unfortunately, we continue to have a proliferation," Neudigate said on Tuesday.
An animated Mayor Bobby Dyer had previously blamed the General Assembly for not passing measures requested by VBPD to enhance their resources and capabilities, while others suggested meeting with VB legislators to build relationships and help drive the point home in person.
Watch previous coverage: Mayor Dyer angry about weekend violence at the Oceanfront
"We gotta go to the source of the problem, and it's the failure of the General Assembly to give our police and every police department the tools that they need to make the public safe," Dyer said on Tuesday.
Virginia Beach leaders initially decided that, starting March 19, the nightly curfew for unaccompanied minors will move one hour earlier — from 11 p.m. to 10 p.m. The curfew will remain in effect until 5 a.m. in public places.
37 minors were taken into custody after police performed a curfew enforcement sweep at the Oceanfront late Saturday night into early Sunday morning, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department.
Watch previous coverage: Virginia Beach police take 37 teens into custody in Oceanfront curfew sweep
34 were released to their parents with warnings, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department. The other three were arrested and taken to the Virginia Beach Juvenile Detention Center on various charges. Police said two of those teens were found illegally carrying firearms.
