Surfer Throws Rock at Drone in Bluff Cove

Editor's note: This article was originally published Jan. 23, 2014.

A drone flying over Bluff Cove on the Palos Verdes Peninsula briefly came under attack Monday when a surfer threw a rock at it.

The drone—specifically, a DJI Phantom with a GoPro mounted on it—was capturing video of the waves in the cove that afternoon when it flew over a group of surfers on the beach.

One of the surfers picked up a rock and threw it at the buzzing drone. It missed, though the angle of the GoPro's lens makes it difficult to tell how close the rock came to the unmanned aerial vehicle.

The "attack" came on the same day as a supposed demonstration against localism at nearby Lunada Bay on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

According to KTLA, Christopher Taloa organized the demonstration. 

"Everybody can blame me for this," Taloa said. "As far as I'm concerned, there's so many people just in this neighborhood alone that want to surf here, and they can't because they're scared."

Lunada Bay in Palos Verdes Estates is well-known for its locals-only approach. It is home of the infamous "Bay Boys," a surf gang that in the past has harassed non-locals with intimidation, vandalism and even violence. In the 1990s, at least one member faced criminal charges, according to the Los Angeles Times. 

Nevertheless, it seemed to be "business as usual" in Lunada Bay on Monday, according to a firsthand report by Reid Levin posted on The Inertia. At least 10 officers were at the beach in case things got out of hand. 

"The police supervision kept things peaceful, but appeared to do nothing to dissuade the heavy regulation of Lunada Bay's lineup," Reid wrote. "Any kind of call to action to overturn the reportedly decades-long history of localism was nearly undetectable."