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More than 100 people were arrested as “Go Topless Galveston,” an event that brings together hundreds of Jeep drivers, attracted intoxicated crowds.
Public intoxication, driving while intoxicated, vehicle burglary and other offenses caused the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office to work around the clock. The majority of the arrests took place on Crystal Beach, where the event was held.
Many people at the event suffered vehicle-related injuries.
“We’ve seen them fall out of vehicles, get struck by other vehicles, fall out and hit their head,” said Sheriff Henry Trochesset Sunday afternoon. “We had a head-on collision last night by Gilchrist. A vehicle caught on fire. The passenger was extracted from the vehicle and we called Life Flight,” a helicopter ambulance service. “That I know of, there are no fatalities so far. But the weekend’s not over.”
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Go Topless is a weekend-long celebration organized by Jeep drivers across the country. The name nods to the Jeep Wrangler’s removable upper body, one of the features that endears the vehicle to outdoor enthusiasts, though many Mardi Gras beads can also be found at the event. For Go Topless Galveston, Jeep enthusiasts navigated an obstacle course, drove through the waves and parked on Crystal Beach with coolers full of beer and flags waving from their vehicles.
According to its website, Go Topless Galveston has recently ballooned in popularity, growing from 180 Jeeps in 2016 to 700 in 2017. It was unclear how many attended this weekend’s event.
It is clear that the number of emergency calls stemming from the event prompted Galveston County Emergency Services to request assistance from Acadian Ambulance, Brazoria County Emergency Services District #4, Santa Fe Fire and Rescue, City Ambulance, Winnie-Stowell Emergency Medical Services and Chambers County Emergency Services District #2. Ambulances and helicopters flocked to the scene to provide emergency services.
Heather Farr, who has attended Go Topless Galveston for four years, said she believed the number of accidents was aggravated by higher-than-normal tides that occur twice a year as the seasons change. The bull tide meant there was less beach on which vehicles could park, resulting in dense, hard-to-navigate crowds.
“It was very difficult to even walk through all the cars and people,” she said. “Much less drive.” She said she witnessed one vehicle speed through the water at an estimated 50 miles an hour near an officer who was unable to intervene because of gridlock.
“In previous years, I’ve seen them stop many of the people riding on top of or on the hood of buggies or jeeps and tell them to get down, which prevents the accidents like we saw this weekend,” she said. “If they are unable to get anywhere, they can’t stop people and tell them to pour out their beers… which means people drink more.”
Trochesset agreed that the crowds were the worst he has seen in over a decade.
“We staffed this weekend like it was the Fourth of July,” he said. But the sheer number of people gathered at the beach was unlike what the area has seen since Hurricane Ike devastated the Bolivar Peninsula in 2008.
Because the Texas Open Beaches Act guarantees free public access to state-owned beaches on the Gulf of Mexico, there is no way to limit the size of the crowds at Crystal Beach. Trochesset said the only way to increase safety at events like Go Topless is to increase police presence, which involves taxpayers paying officers overtime.
“Be careful,” he warned beach goers. “Next weekend is another holiday weekend. So we’ll gear up for that one too. This may have been a precursor.”