Police in Miami Beach kicked off what was expected to be a busy spring break weekend by shooting pepper balls in order to disperse a crowd that had gathered around officers who were making an arrest.

The Miami Beach Police Department tweeted Friday night that two officers were injured and had to be taken to a hospital. Several people were detained in the heart of Miami Beach’s famous nightclub and restaurant district, according to the police department.

The police department described the crowd as “disorderly.”

South Beach resident Kevin Green told the Miami Herald that said the confrontation began after a large crowd of at least 200 people gathered at an intersection to party.

“People were just having fun in that general area,” Green said. “It looked like people were doing Snapchat videos.”

There was a confrontation between officers and people in the crowd as the police tried to apprehend someone, Green said. Then he heard the pops of pepper balls being fired. He took cover behind a police vehicle as the crowd scattered.

“I heard a pop,” Green said. “A bunch of people started running.”

The number of arrests during spring break has more than doubled compared to last year, Miami Beach police said.

From Feb. 3 to March 7, there have been 731 arrests, 263 of which were for felonies, police said. Over the same period last year, there were only 332 arrests, about half of which were felonies.

Extra officers from different police departments are patrolling South Beach and other tourist-heavy areas.

“It’s part of our efforts to ensure a safe experience for not only our residents but as well for the visitors,” a police spokesperson said. “It’s a holistic approach to health and safety and that’s the biggest difference from previous years.

Police say they’re also cracking down on smaller crimes, which is why arrest numbers are up.