Grover Beach officer poses with creepy clown

October 20, 2016

A creepy clown who reportedly scared a child on a bicycle was offering free hugs and pictures to passersby in Grover Beach on Wednesday. An officer responded to the scene and took a photo with the clown, but did not cite or arrest the man inside the costume.

On Wednesday morning, the Grover Beach Police Department received a call about a clown scaring people near the intersection of Grand Avenue and Oak Park Boulevard. Officers contacted the clown and counseled him about appropriate behavior.

Police said the clown was not doing anything illegal. But, the police department advised residents against dressing up as creepy clowns.

“Given the recent complaints involving clowns, it is not a great idea to dress like one in order to attract attention.”

In a Facebook post, the police department said it was sharing the photo of the clown with the officer in case anyone else sees the clown and wants to report him. Grover Beach Councilwoman Barbara Nicolls responded to the post with a comment saying creepy clowns should not be tolerated.

“Any adult in a clown suit with a menacing mask offering hugs and photos to children should not be acceptable to anyone, in my opinion,” Nicolls wrote.

In recent weeks, residents across the United States, as well as several other countries, have uploaded photos and videos of clowns scaring people. Police have arrested some clowns for offenses including disorderly conduct and making threats against schools.

Earlier this month, a Nipomo resident posted a video purportedly showing a creepy clown scaring two men driving at night in rural Nipomo. The video has been viewed more than 100,000 times on Facebook. It is unclear whether or not the incident was staged by the men in the car.