Police Mistake Large Crowd Of Photographers With Rave Revelers
EAST LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Police confronted a large group of people Saturday night and reported that they were unruly and possibly creating mayhem.
They suspected the crowd of nearly 1,000 had been kicked out of a rave.
LAPD later clarified that they belonged to the Flask Mob photography group.
"Everyone just meets up and takes photos, roam the streets of L.A. and just shoot," photographer Mason McDaniels said.
They were drawn to the area, at Mission Road and East 7th Street, by postings on social media sites.
Police thought it was a protest when some members lit things on fire.
It turns out they were igniting fireworks, which they used for their photos.
The group says they never meant to cause any problems.
"We go where nothing can catch on fire and kind of take it easy and chill out," McDaniels said.
Police say they issued a large response because of the size of the crowd, which they felt was getting out of control.
Officers say when they approached the group, the photographers were respectful and dispersed. No arrests were made.
Flask Mob typically attracts a younger following of both aspiring and professional photographers. They meet up once a month to take photos. There are meet-ups in San Francisco, where it got started, L.A. and San Diego.