Pasadena 19-year-old arrested after shots that caused chaos on Galveston’s West End during “senior skip day” Galveston Police said a 19-year-old who opened fire at the beach at 13 Mile Road that prompted the closure of 5 miles of beach Friday (3/7/2025) faces an aggravated assault charge. Xadrian Mejia, who turned 19 in February, was arrested for Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and was in the Galveston County Jail and held without bail. His was among 17 arrests on Galveston’s West End on the first day of Spring Break. While there were at least two other separate shots fired reports to police, there were no other confirmed shootings, Galveston Police Captain Xavier Hancock said. Mejia’s arrest stemmed from a “shots fired” incident that occurred on the beach near 13 Mile Road. That shooting sent hundreds of people scrambling over the dunes as Mejia repeatedly fired a handgun at least five times. It also prompted a massive police response to the beach area. No one was injured in the shooting, although someone did complain of being struck by someone during the melee. At one point, law enforcement officers with guns drawn apprehended Mejia. He and others with him were detained as Galveston police and Galveston County Sheriff’s deputies worked to secure the area. Police Chief Douglas Balli said the shooting at about 1:30 PM came after a busy morning of disturbances and “dangerous and illegal conduct” on the West End. Combined with deadlocked traffic on FM 3005, this promoted Balli to order the closure of the beaches from 8 Mile Road/Sunny Beach to 13 Mile Road. Jamaica Beach Interim Police Chief Matt Seurattan said the beaches in that city—which starts at 15 Mile Road—were also closed as a safety precaution. The beaches reopened at about 7;15 PM. Balli said he partnered with Galveston County Sheriff Jimmy Fullen to increase the police presence in the West End after social media postings promised large crowds and possible trouble. “It was like the entire senior class of (Houston) ISD was on the West End,” Fullen said. In what has become an unwelcome tradition on the Friday before the start of Spring Break Season on the island, high school students skip school and make their way to Galveston’s West End. In 2024, issues got out of control near the San Luis Pass, and several fights broke out and reports of possible shootings. There was no gunfire, but the beaches on the far west end were cleared out. Balli’s department was monitoring social media and saw one post about an HISD Senior Skip Day shared 20,000 times. Even after the beaches were cleared, traffic moved west just as Galveston schools released students. That caused huge traffic backups on Stewart Road at 61st Street, Century Boulevard at 61st Street, and Seawall Boulevard. It took almost 90 minutes before traffic would ease up. “I’m hoping Galveston has big crowds this week, not the unruly ones we saw today,” Fullen said.

Posted by i45NOW Staff Report at 2025-03-07 20:03:45 UTC