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by WILL FOLKS
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South Carolina’s coast landed back in the national news over the weekend, with widespread, spasmodic violence erupting in the Crescent Beach section of North Myrtle Beach last Friday (June 26, 2026).
The violence – believed to revolve around a group of teenagers from Virginia – sparked debates over police response tactics and municipal policies regarding short-term rentals.
Conservative influencer Matt Van Swol shared a montage of multiple clips purportedly taken during the mêlée, erroneously attributing the violence to Myrtle Beach, S.C. – a larger, more well-known municipality centered approximately 13.5 miles southwest of where the violence took place.
Take a look…
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?HOLY CRAP!!!!
— Matt Van Swol (@mattvanswol) June 27, 2026
Another MASSIVE "teen-takeover" terrified Myrtle Beach SC residents as HUNDREDS of "teens" took over the streets and began BEATING EACH OTHER.
Every single available Myrtle Beach police officer was deployed to control the violent teens.
WHAT IS HAPPENING?!!!!! pic.twitter.com/SlOC35utGw
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Curiously, clips of the violence shared on Instagram focused on a responding officer of the North Myrtle Beach Police Department (NMBPD) who appeared to be moving through the streets armed with a shotgun.
That’s right… rather than recoiling at the veritable riot that precipitated the police response, some chose to take umbrage at the response itself.
“The North Myrtle Beach Police Department is aware of this photograph circulating on social media depicting one of our officers holding what appears to be a shotgun,” a statement from the agency noted. “The firearm shown is a less-than-lethal shotgun, a tool carried by trained officers to provide additional options for safely managing rapidly evolving situations while reducing the likelihood that deadly force will be necessary.”
No rounds were fired from the non-lethal shotguns, the agency added, which were deployed “as a precaution.”
“The visible presence of these tools helped officers maintain control of the situation while working to safely disperse the crowd and protect the public,” the statement noted.
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According to NMBPD, its officers responded at approximately 10:13 EDT last Friday (June 26, 2026) to “numerous 911 calls reporting a large fight involving several hundred individuals and the use of fireworks.”
“When officers arrived, they encountered a chaotic scene with large groups running in multiple directions, fighting, and creating significant public safety concerns,” the statement continued. “All available North Myrtle Beach patrol officers responded to restore order, while the Horry County Police Department assisted by handling other calls for service throughout the city.”
NMBPD indicated its officers had previously responded to “numerous calls for service” in the same area after “hundreds of young adults from the same Virginia school district coordinated vacation rentals within a three- to four-block area.”
No arrests were announced in connection with the disturbance.
“While the overwhelming majority of these young people have been cooperative, the unusually large concentration has resulted in significant quality-of-life concerns for residents, including noise complaints, large crowds, pedestrian safety issues, and several incidents requiring police intervention,” the agency added.
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Initial reports indicate the school district in question is Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), the largest government-run school district in the state of Virginia.
Local residents said they blame the violence on the city’s ongoing failure to adopt a “responsible local agent” ordinance that would help officials keep tabs on North Myrtle Beach’s 5,400 licensed, short-term rental properties.
“For the people who live here, the gun isn’t the real story,” North Myrtle Beach resident Jolene Puffer wrote in a column published on MyrtleBeachSC.com. “The crowd is: where it came from, why it landed in a residential neighborhood, and the rental-accountability rule the city has studied, workshopped and delayed for two years while nights like Friday’s keep playing out on our streets.”
Puffer said the problem falls squarely in the lap of newly elected mayor J.O. Baldwin III, who lives in Crescent Beach – and whose top campaign promise was “making sure that our law enforcement and first responders have the resources they need to protect our homes and families.”
“Friday handed him a real-world test of that platform, in his own backyard, during his first summer in the job,” Puffer wrote.
Keep it tuned to FITSNews as we track the latest developments in this case… and its potential impact on what by all accounts is a down year for tourism on the Palmetto State’s coast.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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1 comment
so who is renting these houses? Just like first week you violate the rules and out you go!