Surfer Gang's 'Fort' To Be Demolished

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Officials have unanimously approved a permit to demolish an illegal beach fort erected decades ago by a local group of territorial Los Angeles-area surfers known as the Lunada Bay Boys.

The Palos Verdes Estates Planning Commission cast the vote Tuesday, after both the California Coastal Commission and City Council approved plans for its removal.

City officials estimate that dismantling the shelter, which sits near the water's edge at Rocky Point on Lunada Bay, will cost about $50,000.

Witnesses and a pending lawsuit accuse the Bay Boys of using the structure as a staging area to intimidate and harass out-of-towners who want to surf the waves.

The lawsuit indicates most members of the group are middle-aged men and longtime residents of the city.

(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)