Rowdy Beach Crowd Cheers On Handcuffed Teen Escaping From Police

CLEARWATER, FL — Five people were arrested after a spring break crowd on Clearwater Beach became unruly on Wednesday and 26 Clearwater police officers were called in to control the young adults.

While patrolling the beach at 6:53 p.m. Clearwater police came upon a large, rowdy group of young adults who were violating several city ordinances. Police tried to break up the crowd, but a fight broke out.

When the crowd refused to comply with officers, reinforcements were brought in for crowd control.

While trying to restore order, an officer handcuffed Dominic Glass, 18, of Land O' Lakes and placed him in the back of a police vehicle. As the officer was walking around to the driver's side of the vehicle, Adam Asad, 18, of Oldsmar opened the back door of the police car and let Glass escape.

Glass was apprehended by officers after a brief chase. He was charged with escape, disorderly conduct and resisting an officer without violence, and booked into the Pinellas County Jail.

Asad was arrested by police on Friday and charged with aiding a prisoner escape and resisting arrest without violence.

Clearwater Police Chief Dan Slaughter said 26 officers in all responded to the disturbance and made four arrests including one for battering a police officer.

Slaughter said he was disappointed to see a video posted on TikTok making the rounds on social media sites and TMZ, portraying the incident as a joke.

"The hilarious scene looks like they all just heard there was a free beer giveaway," TMZ said in a story with the headline Handcuffed Kids Makes Getaway... And The Beach Goes Wild!!! "If ya gotta get arrested during spring break, might as well get the entire beach cheering for you as you flee from cops while you're in handcuffs."

"While many of the young adults in the video think this is funny, it has turned what would have been a very minor violation to one that will have severe consequences," Slaughter said.