Port Aransas police arrest more than 200 spring breakers
Port Aransas TX March 21 2018 As students returned to school at the close of spring break, the Port Aransas Police Department began crunching the numbers of their visit.
Police Chief Scott Burroughs said this spring break – despite a few fights that broke out – was relatively normal.
The city was the site of two traffic accidents, one of which was fatal.
Early Saturday morning, 22-year-old Brandon Range was struck by a vehicle while walking on Highway 361. Police are still investigating the cause of that incident.
And last Sunday, a woman traveling on Allister Street and Avenue C on a bicycle was struck by a vehicle. She was taken to the hospital and released the next day, Burroughs said.
But back at the beach, police seemed to have everything under control.
Law enforcement officers from Port Aransas, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Parks and Wildlife and surrounding police departments helped in area patrols.
During the week 215 people were arrested. Of those arrests, 70 were for suspicion of DWI, Burroughs said.
“We have eight and a half miles of beach,” Burroughs said. “A large number of calls were in less than a half-mile area. From about beach marker post 30 and 35.”
That area, just south of Beach Access Road 1, is where the parties occurred. And north of that road is where families gathered.
“There were no stabbings, no shootings,” Burroughs said. “Two people were arrested for aggravated assault, where they were threatening someone with a knife in two separate incidents.”
No one was hurt in those incidents, he said.
BY THE NUMBERS
Spring break stats from 8 a.m. March 10 to midnight March 19.
Total number of incidents: 1,498
Total number of arrests: 215
Total number of DWI arrests: 70
Totals are preliminary numbers by all law enforcement officers assisting in Port Aransas during spring break.
Source: Port Aransas Police Department
