Fireworks Thrown at Officers as Calif. Police Make Over 400 Arrests During July 4 Celebration
What to Know
- Over 400 people were arrested after large crowds gathered on Newport Beach's peninsula, where fireworks were launched, fights broke out and officers worked to disperse disorderly groups during Fourth of July celebrations.
- One police officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries when a mortar-style firework was thrown at him, and videos showed fireworks being thrown into crowds as well as other disruptive behavior.
- Authorities credited enforcement efforts with restoring order, and city officials said many of those arrested were minors or visitors from outside the area.
By Sunday, local volunteers had taken to the beach to help clean up the remnants of the night before.
"I only saw that one video of the [Pavilions] parking lot. Thankfully, all of the locals around here helped pick up," Meyers said. "All of the people that live around here like to keep Newport [Beach] a clean and beautiful environment, so they all worked together to help pick it up. When I came here this morning to work, I didn't see any of it."
The city launched its "Not in Newport" campaign across social media this summer to remind visitors that officials would have zero tolerance for public intoxication, illegal fireworks and other rowdy behavior. Fines for such infractions in West Newport Beach and the Peninsula — dubbed safety enhancement zones — will be tripled through July 6.
"We always have an influx of visitors to the city for the Fourth of July. It's been like that for many years, and there's always kind of a big youth movement that has kind of ebbed and flowed," said Newport Beach Mayor Lauren Kleiman. "The last couple of years we've definitely seen an uptick, in particular kids from out of state. [It's] not atypical, but I think that social media has really changed things."
The beach town also set up a one-strike revocation rule for short-term lodging permit holders whose tenants are in violation of public safety laws during the safety enhancement periods. Kleiman said many adults rent short-term rentals for young people but then do not accompany them as chaperones.
" I know there's a lot of social media coverage, but it was actually pretty orderly once [police] contained the area. The remaining young people who were not taking police commands were also arrested," said Kleiman, who confirmed more than 400 arrests in the last 36 hours.
Many minors and individuals from outside of Newport Beach were in the roundup.
One officer sustained non-life-threatening injuries when a mortar was thrown at him.
" We're still processing everything. Come Monday morning, we will all sit down and debrief about what we can do better for next year," Kleiman said.
The Newport Beach Police Assn. took to social media to applaud the efforts of authorities, who according to their statement were outnumbered 500 to 1.
"A large group of agitators invaded Newport Beach, spurred on by an alleged 'TikTok Takeover,'" the Instagram post read, which was later attributed to Joe DeJulio, president of the police association. "These persons came to our city with the intent on causing harm, injury, and destruction, bringing harassment, disturbances, and mayhem."
The Times reached out to the Newport Beach Police Department for more details, but it did not immediately respond.
Times staff writer Hannah Fry contributed to this report.
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