Robert Burgeson said he could not even get out of the parking lot as the Newport Beach riot spread across the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach. He said there were probably 1,000 teens and young adults cramming the area while fights broke out and fireworks flew at crowds and law enforcement.
Police arrested 402 people between midnight July 3 and 6 a.m. July 5 after the July 4th celebration escalated into blocked roadways, fireworks attacks and an unlawful assembly declaration. A police officer struck by a mortar was treated at the scene, and residents were asked to shelter in place after the order around 8:30 p.m.
Newport Beach Police Department Facebook
The Newport Beach Police Department said on Newport Beach Police Department Facebook that social media posts drew a large influx of juveniles and young adults to the Newport Pier area within minutes. It said the crowd quickly grew into the thousands, and that dangerous and unlawful behavior blocked roadways, prevented emergency access and put families, visitors and first responders at risk.
Lauren Kleiman said social media played a major role in inciting the chaos Saturday night. In the same account, the city said the number of people on the peninsula had tripled by about 9 p.m., before the situation widened beyond the beach and into nearby streets.
West Balboa Boulevard
The Newport Beach Police Association said on Facebook that a large group of agitators invaded Newport Beach, spurred on by an alleged TikTok Takeover. It added that these persons came to the city with the intent on causing harm, injury, and destruction, bringing harassment, disturbances, and mayhem.
At least 100 officers from surrounding agencies converged after a police call for officer needs help, and 17 law enforcement agencies assisted 350 Newport Beach police officers. Police on horseback charged into a crowd on the beach, and a nearby Pavilions supermarket on West Balboa Boulevard was ransacked as the disorder continued.
Robert Burgeson
Burgeson said the scene kept growing as the afternoon and evening went on. “It was absolutely potentially a volatile situation,” he said. “And it only got worse.”
The city’s version and the police association’s version differ on motive, but both point to the same operational failure: social media turned a holiday crowd into a fast-moving public safety incident. The practical lesson for residents is blunt — once access is blocked and shelter-in-place orders start, getting in or out may stop fast, as Burgeson learned in the parking lot.
