Celina Teen Party Draws 800, Ends With Gunshots and Two Arrests

Kishore Karlapudi thought he had rented his four-bedroom home on the 800 block of Choate Parkway to a small group for a weekend getaway. Someone had booked it, he said, claiming they needed the property for a party of seven people. By Saturday night, March 21, between 500 and 800 teens and young adults had overrun the property, drawn by a social media post that spread through the region like a brushfire.

Celina Police Chief John Cullison said the crowd size swelled to between 500 and 800 people after the event was advertised on social media. Officers responded to the home in the 800 block of Choate Parkway after receiving calls about a large gathering. Cullison, describing it as one of the largest gatherings he had encountered, put the scale in stark terms: "This wasn't just a Celina concern. This is a metropolitan concern."

While officers were at the scene, they arrested a minor for DUI and a second person on an active aggravated assault warrant out of the Dallas County Sheriff's Office. Then, as the crowd began to disperse, officers heard multiple gunshots near the residence. They entered and searched the home but found no one injured. Police also responded to reports of shots fired at the nearby Collin College parking lot and found no injuries there either. The shooter has not been identified. Officers began getting 911 calls about the shots fired, including a report of 10 men at the front gate armed with guns and threatening to kill someone.

"Yeah, so that's the mystery," Cullison said when asked whether officers had located the person with a firearm or whether anyone had been hurt. While no one was hurt, the chief shared chaotic video in hopes that parents will talk to their kids and teens will make better choices. Dashcam video provided by the Celina Police Department shows officers running in as crowds of teenagers were running out. Videos posted online by attendees used the hashtag "Project X," a reference to the 2012 teen party film depicting a similarly out-of-control house party.

Karlapudi arrived at the property that same night and found the damage firsthand. He was "totally shocked," saying renters took all the furniture out of the living space and moved it to the garage, removed wall fixtures, broke the island, and shattered the granite countertop, apparently from teens dancing on it. The four-bedroom home, which sits isolated in the 800 block of Choate Parkway, is listed by the Collin County Appraisal District as part of a $7.6 million property spanning 18 acres. Cleanup crews responded in the aftermath, with the total damage described as thousands of dollars. The listing has been removed from rental platforms for two weeks while Karlapudi says the damage is repaired.

Karlapudi said the property had been rented for the weekend through Airbnb to a group of six people, and pointed out the rental allows for no more than 20 people in the home.

Cullison issued a public statement the following day framing the incident as a warning for Collin County families. "Scenes like these highlight the very real risks and dangers associated with large, unsupervised gatherings, especially when fueled through social media and potentially involving underage alcohol or substance abuse," he said. The chief urged parents to have direct conversations with their children about personal responsibility and the speed with which such situations can spiral.

The investigation remains active. Investigators are still searching for whoever fired the weapon that night, and they are asking anyone who may have been hurt but has not yet come forward to contact the Celina Police Department's Criminal Investigation Unit at 972-382-2121.