What happened in Newport Beach on the 4th of July? Holiday celebrations marred by fights, illegal fireworks and mass arrests
fourth of july celebration california Newport Beach descended into chaos as large crowds set off illegal fireworks, damaged property and clashed with police. The riots injured several police officers and injured at least 100 people arrest.
How the chaos unfolded
police They were first called to the area around 7 p.m. when a large group of people began setting off fireworks and fighting, authorities were quoted as saying. ABC 7. Officials also reported a major disturbance at a nearby Pavilions grocery store.
“There were numerous calls throughout the day for police to respond with lights and sirens,” said NBPD spokesperson Heather Rangel, who confirmed a fight broke out on 32nd Street and the crowd had to be dispersed.
newport Beach police, assisted by Fullerton police, helped control the crowd.
More chaos broke out in the parking lot of the Pavilions grocery store on West Balboa Avenue around 10 p.m. local time. Videos shared online showed large crowds destroying property, setting off illegal fireworks and fighting. Los Angeles Times.
Things got worse when the police arrived. People continued to fight and even threw fireworks at police. Several police officers were injured.
Police have not released a final number of arrests, but officials said at least 100 people were detained, ABC 7 reported. The incident remains under investigation.
Here is a video of the incident:
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What happened today?
The scene was much quieter Sunday morning, although the streets and sidewalks were in chaos, the Los Angeles Times reported. Some local residents came to the Pavilions parking lot to help the nearby grocery store get back to normal.
“I talked to a man who lives on 28th Street who saw the incident last night and came out this morning to help clear the parking lot,” said local real estate agent Bill Forsythe, who stopped for coffee at a Starbucks inside the Pavilions Sunday morning.
He added, “He said unruly people threw large fireworks like cherry bombs into the crowd, and he heard a lot of people were coming from out of state.”
