Chief: Teens blocking traffic in Birkdale Village Ubered in for ‘organized event’
Huntersville Police Chief Brian Vaughn told the Town Board on Tuesday that the large gathering of teens blocking traffic at Birkdale Village over the weekend appeared to be an “organized event.”
A video circulating on TikTok shows a large group of teens gathered in the shopping center, with some blocking traffic and at least a few climbing onto a vehicle and dancing on it before dispersing. Police said officers responded within minutes and the crowd cleared out shortly afterward.
Town officials and Birkdale management had already been discussing stepped-up safety measures ahead of St. Patrick’s Day, but Vaughn said the weekend incident accelerated those plans.
Under the newly announced policy from Birkdale, visitors under 18 must be accompanied by an adult after 6 p.m., effective Friday, Feb. 20. However, Vaughn said officers cannot remove minors for violating a private curfew.
Vaughn said that while Birkdale can implement its own code of conduct and curfew, Huntersville police cannot enforce those private rules.
“If we got into the business of enforcing private businesses’ rules, it would open us up to so much litigation,” he said, adding that it could violate constitutional rights.
However, police can intervene if Birkdale wants to ban someone from the property, Vaughn said.
Teens Ubering from surrounding counties
Officers are working to identify teens seen in the viral TikTok video and determine how the gathering was organized, Vaughn said.
School resource officers are also speaking with students to gain insight into how the event came together.
Vaughn said teens traveled from outside Huntersville, noting that teens were identified from Cabarrus, Iredell, Rowan and Lincoln counties.
“You build a nice multi-use property, you’re going to attract people,” he said.
Officials also noted an increase in minors using Uber, a ridesharing app, to get to Birkdale, something Vaughn said is beyond the police department’s control.
“If Uber is allowing 15-year-olds to get an Uber and be dropped off at Birkdale, I can’t control that piece of this.”
Uber’s “Uber for Teens” program lets teens aged 13-17 request rides with parental permission and includes added safety features such as trip tracking and PIN verification, according to the company’s website.
What sparked the gathering?
During the meeting, Commissioner Edwin Quarles raised concerns that the situation may have been sparked by adults allegedly throwing beer cans and bottles at teens from a nearby business.
Vaughn said officers are investigating that claim but have not confirmed it.
“That was reported to the officers as well,” he said. “That’s part of the investigative process.”
He also noted that while large groups of teens gathering at shopping centers is not new — comparing it to “cruising,” a once-popular pastime where teens would hang out in parking lots, malls or parks — he cautioned against overreacting with new ordinances.
“We’ve got plenty of tools in our tool belt already,” Vaughn said, citing existing noise, traffic and disorderly conduct laws. “I don’t think doing anything in reaction specifically to this event…is beneficial to the entire town.”
This story was originally published February 18, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
