Adelaide police investigate possible coordination of fights on social media — ABC News Australia

Police in Adelaide, Australia, are investigating whether fights at Glenelg and Henley Beach on Tuesday may have been coordinated through social media. As ABC News Australia reports, officers are trying to identify people connected to the relevant accounts and determine the level of organization behind the incidents.

Clashes near the beaches

Videos shared on social media captured separate fights on the Glenelg foreshore and at Henley Square. According to South Australia Police, hundreds of young people watched the clashes. Other footage shows large groups of young people running across roads in front of traffic.

In one video, a woman who tried to separate two boys fighting on the beach was pelted with water bottles. Acting Assistant Police Commissioner David O'Donovan said that a small number of people were directly involved in the fights, while most of those present came to watch after posts on social media.

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Further police action

Police arrived at Henley Square after reports of a fight, but most of the crowd had dispersed before they arrived. Police said they had deployed sufficient resources that day because of increased beach attendance as the temperature in Adelaide exceeded 34 degrees Celsius.

O'Donovan also said police are considering starting Operation Jericho earlier. The operation is aimed at combating crime and public-order violations along the city's coastline during summer. He said no reports of assaults or injuries resulting from the incidents had been received.

City of Charles Sturt Mayor Angela Evans called reports of the events troubling. She noted that Henley Square has CCTV cameras, footage from which can also be quickly reviewed by police.