7 Facing Charges Following Looting, Fights At US Open Of Surfing

HUNTINGTON BEACH (CBSLA.com) — Nine people were taken into custody and seven face charges following a “major” disturbance at the conclusion of the US Open of Surfing in Orange County, police said Monday.

The first reports of fights occurred just after 7:15 p.m. Sunday with officers attempting to break up a large crowd in downtown Huntington Beach, police said.

“The crowds began fighting, damaging property and refused to disperse,” said officials.

Police said 15 to 20 portable toilets were knocked over. Two city trucks and four police cars were also damaged.

Video from the incident shows a stop sign ripped from the ground and used to break the display window of the Easy Rider Bike Shop on Main St. One bike was stolen.

“I started wrestling with a looter to pull the second bike back in,” said store employee Bert Etheredge. “And then all of a sudden the people turned and just started running up Main Street, like a flood of people. And that was scary. So we all ran into the shop, locked the doors and shut down the windows.”

Police from 21 Orange County departments were called to the area, with more than 200 officers on scene. After declaring an “unlawful assembly” and giving orders to leave the area, officers fired rubber projectiles and pepper balls to disperse the crowd.

“I want to make clear that the law enforcement officers in my view used a great deal of restraint when facing a barrage of bottles, bricks, rocks and other devices being thrown at them from a crowd of people who repeatedly failed to disperse after being ordered to do so,” Chief Small said.

Order was restored around 9p.m. Chief Small said the additional support from O.C. police departments helped officers to neutralize the situation quickly.

“There were very few minor injuries and there was some, but minimal, damage to public and private property,” Huntington Beach Police Chief Ken Small said at a news conference Monday afternoon.

One person was also arrested for assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, Lt. John Domingo told KNX 1070. The weapon was reportedly a skateboard.

8 Arrested Following Looting, Fights At US Open Of SurfingKNX 1070

“Damage included damage to city vehicles, portable toilets, newspaper racks, broken windows and street signs,” Lt. Mitchell O’Brien said.

Police said several witnesses captured the vandals on cell phone cameras and social media and have turned the footage over to authorities.

“We’re getting a lot of stuff on Twitter, Facebook,” said Lt. O’Brien. “We’ve got a team of people sifting through that” to identify those involved.

We have restored order – we are sifting through videos right now at 1 AM and will identify those involved. Please send video or pics—
Huntington Beach PD (@HBPD_PIO) July 29, 2013

“We’re extremely disappointed and saddened by the disturbance that occurred up on Main St. after the close of the US Open of Surfing,” organizers said in a statement posted on Facebook. “We work tirelessly with City staff, police, fire and other agencies to ensure a safe environment for all.”

Huntington Beach police were still looking for additional suspects and requested that anyone with pictures, video or information to call (714) 375-5066. Photographs and footage can also be sent to a special email address set up for the investigation at HBPDfiles@gmail.com.

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1 Injured In Huntington Beach Riot Following U.S. Open Of Surfing

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Bicycle salesman Bert Etheredge locked down the shop where he works and sent customers and co-workers into a back room when he saw a raucous mob moving up the main street of a California beach town after a popular surf contest.

Moments later, the wild crowd yanked out a stop sign and rammed it through the window of the Easyrider shop before stealing a bike.

“It was like a flood of people,” Etheredge said. “A running from the bulls kind of thing.”

More than 100 police officers responded to quell the disturbance on Sunday night in Huntington Beach, the city that bills itself as “Surf City USA,” after a fight broke out across from the beach where thousands of spectators had gathered for the popular nine day-U.S. Open of Surfing.

The raucous crowd toppled portable toilets, threw items from rooftops and smashed car windows along the popular downtown strip lined with restaurants, bars and surf and skate shops.

Police fired pepper balls and rubber projectiles to break up the melee.

One person was treated for injuries at a hospital after apparently being hit by a flying bottle and one of the rubber projectiles, Huntington Beach police Lt. Mitchell O’Brien said.

Seven people were booked into jail, one for investigation of assault with a deadly weapon after allegedly hitting an officer with a skateboard. Others were being investigated for drunken conduct and failure to disperse. Officers initially detained nine people, but two were later released.

“Any time you have thousands of people put together like this, you have the potential for things to go wrong,” O’Brien said.

Property damage could reach tens of thousands of dollars, he added.

Police were sifting through photos and video of the melee posted online and expect to make more arrests.

At a news conference Monday afternoon, police Chief Ken Small defended the officers’ actions.

They “used a great deal of restraint when facing a barrage of bottles, bricks, rocks” and other objects, he said.

The U.S. Open of Surfing draws thousands of people every year to Huntington Beach. The event that ended Sunday included surfing, skateboarding and live music.

“We’re extremely disappointed and saddened by the disturbance,” said a statement on the U.S. Open of Surfing website. “We work tirelessly with city staff, police, fire and other agencies to ensure a safe environment for all.”

Shopkeepers say downtown — known for its scenic beaches and crashing surf — is often the scene of drunken bar brawls and rowdy behavior — but not rioting. Locals say some of the worst offenses come during the U.S. Open of Surfing when young partiers descend on the strip and leave a mess

“The people who come here aren’t here to shop. They’re just here to cause trouble,” said Michelle Hogan, manager of Island Cowgirl jewelry shop, which escaped the ruckus unscathed.  “There’s the drunkenness and the craziness but something like a riot is unheard of.”

Police said one of the arrestees was from Huntington Beach. The other six were from other Southern California cities.

On Monday, there was little sign of the disturbance except for a boarded-up window at Easyrider and a handful of television news trucks parked on the main strip. Beachgoers wearing flip-flops cruised by on colorful bicycles as tourists shopped for trinkets and stopped for lunch on a typically sunny summer day.

Tracey Boyle, 45, said she wasn’t fazed by the melee in the tourist town where she and her three children from Northern California had come to spend their vacation.

“It’s just something that got out of hand,” Boyle said. “You can’t imagine what it would be at a surf event — they seem too chill to get in that kind of confrontation, but they clearly did.”

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Screenwriter Blasts World Market After Being Kicked Out Of Store For ‘Following Women Around’

SHERMAN OAKS (CBSLA.com) — The screenwriter behind Hollywood animated hits “Puss in Boots” and “Hop” has taken aim at World Market after he said a store manager accused him of following women around.

Brian Lynch, 40, said he went to the retail store in Sherman Oaks on Sunday with his sister and 10-year-old adopted niece, who were visiting from New Jersey.

Lynch said while he was was watching the youngster in the candy aisle, a manager named “Summer” accused him of following women around and creeping them out.

The manager then asked Lynch to leave the store.

The writer took his outrage to Twitter, where he posted, “I was horrified. Made to look like some weird pervert at @worldmarket. I had no idea what Summer was talking about.”

I was horrified. Made to look like some weird pervert at @worldmarket. I had no idea what Summer was talking about.—
Brian Lynch (@BrianLynch) July 28, 2013

He added, “I was loudly shamed, kicked out, and accused of something horrific in front of my 10 year old niece in @worldmarket. By the manager.”

I was loudly shamed, kicked out, and accused of something horrific in front of my 10 year old niece in @worldmarket. By the manager.—
Brian Lynch (@BrianLynch) July 28, 2013

Lynch said video cameras inside the store will show he did nothing wrong.

In a statement, World Market spokesperson Jill Osaka said, “We are speaking directly with Mr. Lynch about his experience at our Sherman Oaks store over the weekend. Cost Plus World Market prides itself on providing a welcoming shopping environment. We are taking steps to fully understand what occurred and will continue to work with Mr. Lynch.”

Lynch tweeted late Monday that World Market has since apologized, and the situation should be resolved by Tuesday.

https://twitter.com/BrianLynch/status/362019015259992065

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‘Major’ Disturbance Reported In Huntington Beach Following US Open Of Surfing

HUNTINGTON BEACH (CBSLA.com) — Huntington Beach Police report a large and unruly crowd is getting into sporadic fighting at PCH and First following the close of the US Open of Surfing.

Police referred to the episode as a “major event.”

It was unclear what touched off the fighting but Lt. Mitchell O’Brien told KCAL9 at 8:20 p.m. Sunday that police hoped to disperse the crowd “within the next half hour.”

A large police presence is trying to break up the large gathering in downtown Huntington Beach but O’Brien called the crowd “less than cooperative.”

The first reports of fighting occurred just after 7:15, said police.

O’Brien said Huntington Beach Police were used to sometimes unruly crowds following the Open and other high-profile, day-long events, but police hadn’t seen anything as big as today’s disturbance “in years.”

HBPD asked for the help of other agencies to help disperse the crowd.

Some in the crowd suggested police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse and control the crowd but police have not confirmed that.

A video on YouTube purported to show police tossing a tear gas cannister.

“We do not have specific information about the number of arrests, number of agencies who have responded, damaged property or injuries at this time,” O’Brien said in a written statement.

Reporting from the scene, KCAL9's Jeff Nguyen said he spoke to witnesses who saw people just going down the street “cold cocking people” without explanation.

An eyewitness reported seeing windows being smashed and at least one store being looted by vandals.

Send your pics or video of the event to StreetTeam@cbs.com.

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