Cops respond to violence at outdoor 'rave' 

The event was promoted online as “The Neverending Party,” but at 11:04 p.m., after only three hours of revelry, seven sheriff’s deputies and a medical unit arrived at the scene on April 11 to shut the party down.

Sheriff’s Department spokesman Rob Bryn said the deputies originally responded to traffic complaints and reports of pedestrians on Highway 41, about halfway between Morro Bay and Atascadero. They found a grass lot packed full of cars a short walk away from several hundred people dancing with glow sticks and colored beads to house music blasted from two separate stages powered by generators.

Despite promotions inviting partiers in the 18-and-older range, one of the ravers was a minor suffering a head wound witnesses reported was the result of a beer bottle being broken over his head. The minor was transported to Twin Cities Hospital. His alleged assailant was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and has since been released from the county jail. No citations were issued.

Many people left the party as the cops had organizers tear down the main stage, but when the deputies left the scene at 12:20 a.m., DJs brought the second stage back to life. True to its name, the party continued.

One of the DJs, who calls himself Fatty Knuckles, spoke with New Times through Facebook. He’s a member of the 805 Bass Militia, has been performing locally for more than 10 years, and says the rave scene in SLO is growing rapidly.

“[Organizers] Play with Fire Productions said there was close to 1,000 people there,” Knuckles said. “Myself and a few others are working on fixing the things that went wrong with this event. The constant lack of planning just leads to more busts.”

The DJ said rave organizers need to consider safety issues more seriously. He cited better lighting as a good option for future events, and suggested private security forces for helping to prevent violence and keep cops from getting involved.