More than 50 law officers dispersed an estimated 8,000 people drinking alcohol and mooning trains as they passed between San Diego and Los Angeles. The annual ``Moon Over Amtrak'' party was shut down due to complaints about public nudity.
The event drew a crowd of about 8,000 along the tracks near Mugs Away Saloon, 27324 Camino Capistrano, but things got out of hand as businesses and residents called in complaints, said Orange County Sheriff's Department spokesman Jim Amormino.
California Highway Patrol officers were called in to assist Orange County sheriff's deputies shut down the impromptu event, where thousands of people bared their rear ends to passing Metrolink and Amtrak trains.
"There were complaints about the mooning, women lifting their tops and a couple cases of complete nudity,'' Amormino said. There were also reports of public alcohol consumption at the event, which has been prohibited in the past.
As of 3:50 p.m. Saturday, about 50 officers, including some from the California Highway Patrol, were in the process of shutting down the event.
"Traffic congestion is terrible right now, and with all the complaints we decided it was best we shut it down,'' Amormino said.
No arrests were made.
The event originated in 1979, at the Mugs Away Saloon, a K.T. Smith told friends he would buy a drink for anyone willing to run outside to the railroad tracks and moon the next train. Many of Smith's drinking buddies did, and the mooning tradition lived on -- although no one volunteers to buy drinks for the thousands of mooners that come out.
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