LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – In an effort to crack down on parties held in violation of public health orders, Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer announced criminal charges against TikTok stars Bryce Hall and Blake Gray on Friday.
“If you have a combined 19 million followers on Tiktok, in the middle of a public health crisis, you should be modeling great behavior, best practices for all of us, rather than brazenly violating the law, and then posting videos about it,” Feuer said at a news conference.
Hall and Gray can face penalties of up to one year in jail and up to $2,000 in fines, the city attorney said, calling the party hosts “incredibly irresponsible.”
Los Angeles Police Department officers responded to the Hollywood Hills home shared by Hall and Gray on Appian Way on Aug. 8, giving them a warning that gatherings are prohibited during the pandemic and issuing them a citation, Feuer said.
Six days later, LAPD officers were again called to the home and they arrived to find “several hundred guests,” celebrating Hall’s 21st birthday, the city attorney said.
Feuer said Gray was cited again and officers stayed at the scene until guests dispersed.
On Aug. 19, the city shut off the power at their Hollywood Hills home.
Earlier this month, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti authorized the city to shut off L.A. Department of Water and Power services at houses, businesses and other venues repeatedly hosting large gatherings during the pandemic. “Large house parties have essentially become nightclubs in the Hills,” the mayor said at the time.
And while gatherings had already been banned in the county, health officials on Aug. 4 issued a “legally binding” order prohibiting parties, saying hosting them is “a crime punishable by fine, imprisonment, or both.”
The health department’s order came after a large Beverly Crest house party that involved people crowding together, the majority without face masks, and ended with a fatal shooting.
Feuer on Friday also announced charges against Jianwei Bai, who owns a home on Outpost Drive, and David Marvisi who owns a home on Sunset View Drive.
Feuer said he hopes the charges filed Friday will deter others from hosting large gatherings that could potentially spread the coronavirus to partygoers and their families.
“These super spreader parties cannot prevent us from making progress,” he said.
