More than 400 arrested in Newport Beach as unruly Fourth of July crowd prompts police response
More than 400 people were arrested across 36 hours in Newport Beach as an unruly crowd broke out during Fourth of July celebrations on Saturday night, according to the city's mayor.
Beach and pier areas were cleared at 7:30 p.m. as fights became unruly, Mayor Lauren Kleiman told CBS LA. Activity seemed to ramp up around 9 p.m., requiring outside law enforcement agencies to step in to assist the Newport Beach Police Department, which had deployed more than 350 officers as the night continued.
"There was a bunch of cops everywhere, blocking everywhere. We were, like, we didn't know where to go at this point," said Lorna Stevens, who was one of the many taken into custody. "They put us in zip ties, they split up boys and girls and then they put us in a van."
Aerial images showed the crowd around 10:20 p.m., where at least one person was seen being loaded into an ambulance with unknown injuries. Another social media video taken earlier in the day showed a large crowd of people that had gathered on the beach running from NBPD officers on horseback.
"It was going crazy," said Rylan Liegeois, who was on the beach when the chaos unfolded. "Fireworks were going everywhere. You couldn't even walk."
As the situation continued to develop, police said that the crowd then began to swarm the area near the Newport Beach Pier. A police skirmish line formed at one point, and attendees were instructed to return home.
"A lot of ruckus everywhere. Lots of police officers, fireworks going off," said Natalie McCarthy.
Police said that as the crowd grew, people began to engage in increasingly dangerous behavior, which included blocking roadways, restricting emergency vehicles and throwing mortars and fireworks towards police and crowds.
Mayor Kleiman told CBS LA that one NBPD officer was struck by a mortar firework during the incident, but is said to be OK.
Crowds destroyed property and landscapes at a nearby Pavilions grocery store, Kleiman said. Video from outside the grocery store showed smashed watermelons and cases of soda in the street.
"It just kinda ruined what was supposed to be a fun night," Stevens said.
In all, police said that Newport Beach firefighters responded to more than 100 emergency incidents, including 10 fires, and took 44 people to local hospitals.
On Sunday morning, the city's public works team and some neighbors gathered to help clean the mess left behind.
Kleiman said that city leaders would be meeting in the coming days to make sure that they can prevent similar instances from happening ever again.
Late Sunday, a Newport Beach City Councilmember shared a statement with CBS LA about Saturday's events, stating that the city had "moved steadily away from the 'warzone' days" from decades ago thanks to the work of police, firefighters, the Orange County Sheriff's Department and city leaders.
"Yesterday met those expectations until chaos erupted on a section of the Peninsula after 'a rapidly growing crowd near Newport Pier threatened public safety after TikTok social media posts drew thousands to the area,'" the statement said. "A large group of bad actors ended our celebrations on a sour note and left our residents fearing for their safety."
The statement went on to note the importance of social media, and the potential negatives that come with it.
"The fact that it happened, though, needs to be addressed by our City Council," the statement said. "What we experienced is not the standard that Newport Beach should accept. ... We can do better. We will do better."