BEAUMONT, Texas — The owner of a hotel in downtown Beaumont told 12News he is planning to press charges after multiple teens broke in, leaving behind a path of destruction.
Beaumont Police believe 30 teenagers broke into Hotel Beaumont Monday night and left "significant damage" to the vacant building. The historic hotel was built in 1922 and sold to Mack Patel in 2019.
Officers believe the motivation for the crime came from a viral video posted on TikTok in late March of 2023.
"We are aware of this challenge," Beaumont Police Department Sgt. Thomas Swope said. "It's been out for about a week now pretty much for people to break into this hotel and explore it."
The video has garnered more than 12,000 views on TikTok since it was posted according to police. The TikTok video has also been shared on Facebook.
In the video, a person is seen breaking into the hotel and exploring.
Police do not believe any of the teens who broke into the hotel Monday are from Beaumont, but they do believe the teens are from other parts of Southeast Texas. Officers were able to arrest a few members of the large group but many got away.
Sgt. Swope said the Beaumont Police Department is only two blocks away from Hotel Beaumont, so it became quickly apparent that something was going on.
“You know downtown on a Monday night is relatively quiet,” Sgt. Swope said. “When officers pass by and see 20 to 30 cars in this area, they are going to see what’s going on and investigate.”
Police believe the teenagers smashed a window to get inside.
"Our officers were patrolling this area and noticed the damage here to the building," Sgt. Swope said.
Comments posted under the video show TikTok users expressing interest in breaking in. These fueled area leaders suck as Council Mike Getz to react.
"It's appalling," Councilman Getz said. "It's disturbing, and we have got to figure out ways to disincentive these kids from acting in this manner. It's terrible."
Police plan to increase the number of officers patrolling around the hotel to deter people from trespassing.
There is a need for additional city ordinances and the enforcement of existing ordinances that address vacant buildings in downtown, Carol Gary of Beaumont Main Street told 12News in response to the break in.
"Trespass warning accounts for the majority of the public order crimes in the downtown area over the last ten years," she said via email.
Beaumont Main Street recently submitted a "preservation proposal" to the City of Beaumont that, in part, addresses vacant buildings like the Hotel Beaumont she said.
The non-profit organization lobbies to preserve Beaumont's downtown according to its website.
In August 2016 a man died in the alleyway between the hotel and the Jefferson Theatre after falling from an "elevated position" at the hotel according to investigators at the time.
GET NEWS & WEATHER ALERTS | Download the 12News App to your mobile device
CRIME STOPPERS | Submit a tip @ 833Tips.com
CRIME STOPPERS APP | Download the P3 Tips App
If you have information about a crime you could earn a cash reward of up to $1000 by providing an ANONYMOUS tip to Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas.
Call 833-TIPS (8477) or download the P3Tips App on your mobile device to submit your tip anonymously.