The city of Newport Beach in Orange County, California, made 402 arrests from the start of July 4 to 6 a.m. on July 5 as Tiktok and other social media posts drew a large influx of juveniles and young adults that caused chaos in riots at Newport Pier and surrounding areas.
“As the crowd rapidly grew, individuals engaged in increasingly dangerous and unlawful behavior, blocking roadways, restricting emergency vehicle access, and throwing explosive mortars, fireworks, and other projectiles at police officers into densely packed crowds and near families with children,” city officials said.
Videos shared online captured much of the activity that also included teens and young adults looting stores such as Pavilions, a grocery store on Balboa Blvd.; stealing street signs; uprooting palm trees; and leaving hoards of trash in many places.
Officials said one police officer was hit by a mortar thrown by these individuals and had to receive care from the Newport Beach Fire Department.
Officials declared an unlawful assembly as more than 350 officers and 17 regional law enforcement agencies helped clear the area to protect residents and visitors.
Videos online show a group of policemen, some on horseback, charging onto the beach as teens and young adults screamed and fled.
Officials said that approximately 200 arrests involved individuals who repeatedly refused the dispersal orders and remained near 28th Street.
It added that others responsible for inciting the crowd, committing violent and criminal behavior, and threatening public safety have been taken into custody and will be held accountable.
Many locals took to social media to share their frustrations and called out non-locals, including kids from out-of-state, for coming into the city and acting without respect for the community.
“The scene on the Fourth of July yesterday at Newport Beach was absolutely disgraceful, and this is all Tiktok’s fault for making Newport Beach a nationwide thing,” Ryan Rodal, a health and nutrition influencer, said on Tiktok.
Rodal said in the days leading up to the Fourth of July that he saw videos from kids, not only from Los Angeles and the Inland Empire, but all across the country, posting that they were coming to Newport Beach.
“The way that the city was looted and destroyed should not be tolerated, so next year, let’s ban everybody from out-of-town from coming into Newport [Beach]. Let’s check IDs. Don’t let people park on the peninsula. Whatever you have to do. Because this should not ever happen again,” he said.
The fire department had to respond to 102 emergency incidents on July 4, including 10 fires, and transported 44 patients to the hospital.
Officials said early Sunday morning that operations crews removed debris; cleaned streets, sidewalks, and public spaces; and restored the Balboa Peninsula. Newport Beach police remained deployed in the area over the weekend.
