The City of Newport Beach in Southern California said police made 402 arrests after “social media posts drew a large influx of juveniles and young adults to the Newport Pier area within a matter of minutes” on July 4.
Officials added that “as the crowd quickly grew into the thousands, dangerous and unlawful behavior escalated, blocking roadways, preventing emergency access and putting families, visitors and first responders at risk.”
‘I’ve lived here 54, 55 years, and I’ve never seen anything like that. It’s very sad.’
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However, officials said “more than 350 officers responded quickly to restore order, reopen emergency access routes and protect the community.”
KTLA-TV reported that video of the chaos shows hundreds of people in a parking lot along West Balboa Boulevard — and that some were
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