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SANTA MONICA (CNS) - The city of Beverly Hills has collectively obtained nearly $25,000 in a default judgment against a YouTube video creator, a promoter and a company to compensate the municipality for police and administrative costs associated with a spring 2021 parade that caused the temporary closing of Rodeo Drive.
Santa Monica Superior Court Judge H. Jay Ford III signed the default judgment order on Thursday in the city's lawsuit alleging YouTube video creator Austin McBroom used the social media to lure his followers to Beverly Hills for a May 29, 2021, parade prior to his match the next month with fellow YouTuber and TikTok video creator Bryce Hall in Miami, an event billed as "The Battle of the Platforms -- YouTubers vs. TikTokers."
In addition to McBroom, the fight's promoter, Sheeraz Hasan, and his company, Fame by Sheeraz, also were defendants and are jointly liable for the default judgment. They "guided McBroom's strategy and execution of the unruly gathering," the complaint alleged.
The judge granted the city $21,307 in damages and $2,455 in costs.
"The unruly parade littered trash and debris on city streets and turned chaotic and dangerous," the city's lawyers stated in their court papers. "The city was forced to expend significant sums of money to ensure the safety of the public and to abate the nuisance with law enforcement and other personnel."
Although all three defendants were personally served, they "chose to ignore this lawsuit and not appear," according to the city's lawyers' court papers.
Representatives for McBroom and Hasan could not be immediately reached.
The 30-year-old McBroom, working with Hasan and his company, posted a flier on Snapchat advertising a "YouTube Takeover Parade" in which McBroom implored his fans to "be ready to take over the streets," the complaint filed last Oct. 26 stated.
"McBroom later bragged about this unlawful act on social media," according to the negligence and nuisance abatement suit.
Hasan shared the same flier with his own social media followers the day of the parade, the suit stated.
Rodeo Drive was closed between Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards for about 90 minutes because of the hundreds of fans present.
The Beverly Hills municipal ordinances obligated McBroom to request a permit and work with the city staff to help ensure that all public safety concerns are addressed, along with collection of permit fees and procurement of insurance providing liability coverage for the parade, the suit stated.
The city learned of McBroom's event through social media posts and police "immediately knew" no such activity had been approved, according to the suit, so the department was ready with more than 35 BHPD officers, seven Santa Monica Police Department officers, 13 private security guards, one helicopter and several city administrative personnel, the suit stated.
Due to the demeanor of the crowd and in order to "control the mob of fans loyal to McBroom, the BHPD executed its plan to declare an unlawful gathering, barricade Rodeo Drive to traffic and control the crowds using police officers in full riot gear," the suit stated.
Within hours, the crowd was dispersed "through the diligence of BHPD officers," after which the city was forced to clean the streets of litter and debris left behind by the McBroom followers, the suit stated.