By Sara Beth Williams–
Three adults and four juveniles were detained by Citrus Heights Police after midnight Wednesday morning in connection with a large group of teens and young adults who were attempting to break into the old Elephant Bar building.
Police received a report of several juveniles attempting to break into Elephant Bar and arrived after midnight on Nov. 11 to find several attempting to scale the building and some on the roof of the vacant restaurant building. As officers arrived, most of the suspects fled the scene on foot, according to police radio traffic. Several were then detained by officers. Citrus Heights Police did not disclose how many suspects were still outstanding.
Citrus Heights Police Sgt. Eric Dias says the teens were attempting to do a ‘TikTok challenge’, in which individuals are responding to other videos of breaking into abandoned Elephant Bar buildings.
The TikTok videos focus on urban exploration of the vacant restaurant chain buildings, one of which happens to be on Sunrise Boulevard. One specific video without caption text shows images from the vantage point of the roof and inside the vacant restaurant located on Sunrise Boulevard, posted in mid-October.
It was not known whether any of the suspects detained were able to successfully video tape the incident. The investigation is still ongoing and in the process of being completed.
The three adults and four teenagers were detained and trespassed from the location, but no criminal charges were filed, Dias said Wednesday. All of those who were detained were identified and issued trespassing notices, which dictate that the individuals can be arrested if they return to the property for a second time within the timeframe specified on the trespassing notice.
