TikTok Stars Bryce Hall, Blake Gray Criminally Charged For Throwing Hollywood Hills House Parties
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – The Los Angeles City Attorney announced criminal charges Friday against four people, including two young TikTok stars, in connection with several recent parties at mansions in the Hollywood Hills, a practice which authorities have attempted to crack down on during the coronavirus era.
In a morning news conference, City Attorney Mike Feuer announced charges against social media stars Bryce Hall and Blake Gray, who share a home in the 8700 block of Appian Way.
On Aug. 19, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti ordered that utility service be shut down at the home after they received multiple warnings for throwing several large parties there. Gray allegedly lives at the home as well.
A few weeks prior, on Aug. 5, Garcetti had issued a public order authorizing the L.A. Department of Water and Power to shut off utilities at homes which host large gatherings, parties or events.
On Aug. 8, Hall and Gray threw a large party at the home, which brought out the LAPD. However, despite being cited, on Aug. 14, they threw a second party for Hall's 21st birthday which was attended by several hundred people, Feuer said. Officers were called to home on reports of gunfire, although they found no evidence that a weapon had been fired. It was five days later that Garcetti ordered the utility shutoff.
"If you have a combined 19 million followers on TikTok in the middle of a public health crisis, you should be modeling great behavior, best practices for all of us, rather than brazenly violating the law, then posting videos about it, as we allege happened here," Feuer told reporters.
Meanwhile, charges were also filed Friday against two other homeowners who also received multiple citations for throwing parties. Feuer identified them as Jianwei Bai, owner of a home on Outpost Drive, and David Marvisi, owner of a home on Sunset View Drive.
All four men face misdemeanor charges for violating the Safer L.A. Health Order and the Party House Ordinance. If convicted as charged, each faces a maximum sentence of up to one year in jail and $2,000 in fines.
Several similar mansion parties have resulted in shootings this month. On Aug. 4, one day prior to Garcetti's order, a woman was killed and two others wounded after shots were fired at a mansion party in the wealthy neighborhood of Beverly Crest.
Then, in the early morning hours Wednesday, gunfire erupted again during a party at another short-term rental mansion in Beverly Crest, this time killing one man and leaving a second man wounded.
Home-sharing giant Airbnb announced Monday that it had suspended or removed more than 50 L.A. County rental homes from its app after receiving complaints or noting policy violations. The move came just a few days after Airbnb's decision to ban parties and events at listings globally until further notice.
On Monday, the city of Glendora also reported that it had fined the organizer of an illegal mansion party and made at least one arrest after shutting down a giant party at a million-dollar home.
On Aug. 11, five people were wounded in a shooting at a large party at a warehouse in an industrial area in the South Los Angeles County community of Harbor-Gateway.
