Pier Stabbing Spurs Melee in Laguna Beach

The holiday weekend was marred for people at Laguna Beach’s Aliso Pier late Sunday night when a stabbing incident turned into a small riot and bottle-throwing confrontation with police.

Laguna Beach Police Sgt. Don Barney said Monday that many in the crowd were so unruly that several people still were trying to hit the suspect in the stabbing incident as police tried to hustle him away.

“It was general chaos,” Barney said. “People were fighting; some people were running, some were looking for their ride to get out of there.”

About 300 people were at Aliso Beach Sunday night, but many only watched the fighting or were trying to get away from the melee, Barney said.

The incident began about 11:15 p.m. when 20-year-old Lance Christy of Dana Point was stabbed just south of the pier. Police later arrested Michael J. Munroe, 20, of Mission Viejo on suspicion of attempted murder.

With Separate Crowds

Barney said Christy and Munroe were with separate groups of about 25 people each when the incident began.

Barney said witnesses told police the stabbing occurred when Christy went after Munroe after Munroe grabbed an empty beer keg belonging to Christy’s group.

“These were not gangs or anything; it was just a group of young people who got out of control,” Barney said.

After the stabbing, several fights broke out between the two groups, he said.

“It was a very hostile scene,” Barney explained. “One side was yelling, ‘Get him an ambulance,’ and the other side was yelling, ‘Let him die.’ ”

When a fire truck arrived, it was hit by a couple of bottles. But it was not until police brought in reinforcements that officers, paramedics and firefighters were bombarded with rocks and bottles.

Barney said about 15 officers eventually responded to the melee, plus additional reinforcements from the Newport Beach Police Department, which also sent a helicopter.

Several people who tried to assault officers were forcibly removed from the area, Barney said. Besides Munroe, two other people were arrested. One was a juvenile, who was taken to a youth shelter after police determined that he was a runaway. Barney said the boy was not kept in custody after evidence failed to substantiate earlier reports that the unidentified juvenile had given the suspect the knife.

Also arrested was Tommy A. Jones, 18, from Mission Viejo, who was booked on suspicion of interfering with police.

Munroe was wrestled to the ground by several men when he reportedly attempted to flee the scene.

Several people in the crowd tried to continue fighting with Munroe after police arrived and some refused police orders to disperse.

“Most of the people there did disperse,” Barney said. “There was really just a small handful of people causing most of the problem.”

It took police about 45 minutes to clear the entire area, Barney said.

Christy was taken to Mission Community Hospital Trauma Center, where he was reported in intensive care Monday.