Kelli Berglund
INDIO – The Indio Police Department reported 128 arrests during the first weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, a 38 percent increase from last year’s opening weekend.
According to Indio police Sgt. Dan Marshall the department normally expects 120 to 150 people to be arrested during the first weekend, so although the numbers were higher, they were not unexpected. Although a higher number than normal, 46 people were arrested for using fake IDs, which is up 130 percent from last year.
The elite were not given a pass either. According to The Press Enterprise 20-year-old Disney star Kelli Berglund known for her role as Bree Davenport on “Lab Rats” and “Lab Rats: Elite Force” was arrested for using a fake ID on Friday night.
However, the 119 arrested for misdemeanor charges, got a get out of jail free card, or least a temporary pass. Police utilized onsite fingerprint-taking equipment and cameras, processed arrests, issued a citation and released the purported offenders back to the festival.
The other largest subsection of arrests was the 57 people arrested on drug charges, 8 of which were felonies.
Sixteen people arrested for public intoxication, two for outstanding warrants, five for resisting or obstructing a peace officer, one was arrested for violating a vehicle code and another for trespassing.
According to Marshall, authorities expect a higher number of arrests the second weekend of the festival. In fact, the total number of arrests on the first weekend was still lower than last year’s second weekend.
Authorities are also assuming they can plan on more arrests at the Stagecoach Festival, the outdoor country music festival that takes place the weekend after Coachella, which still had a higher number of arrests than last weekend.
