Del Mar Beach Protest Turns Into a Brawl With Deputies

Six-hundred unruly young adults and teen-agers, many under the influence of alcohol, confronted San Diego County sheriff’s deputies late Sunday night as a Del Mar beach protest turned into a beach brawl.

The angry crowd was protesting proposed city ordinances to shut down fire rings and ban alcohol on the beaches. The proposals will be considered by the Del Mar City Council tonight, officials said.

The protesters Sunday night were drinking and partying around a bonfire on the northern end of the city’s beach after the 10 p.m. beach curfew.

They threw rocks, bottles and sand-filled beer cans at deputies when they were ordered to leave, officials said.

Later, while a sheriff’s helicopter circled above the crowd, protesters were again ordered to disband. Some protesters allegedly threw rocks and bottles at the helicopter.

The crowd was broken up shortly before 11 p.m. Ten people--seven adults and three juveniles--were arrested. The juveniles were later released to their parents and the adults were booked at County Jail, then freed on their own recognizance.

Complaints From Residents

Sheriff’s officials declined to identify those arrested. They said there were no injuries.

However, protest organizer Mike Tostado, 22, of Encinitas, said he and others arrested on the beach were manhandled by deputies.

“All we were doing was protesting,” Tostado said. “We want to keep our fires. And they want to close down the beaches altogether after sundown and not let anyone hang out.”

Tostado claimed that one of the main reasons for the melee was the sheriffs’ use of the helicopter to whip up sand and send it flying at demonstrators.

San Diego and Del Mar lifeguards said that, in recent weeks, they have received complaints from nearby beach residents, particularly those close to the mouth of the San Dieguito River, about large late-night parties.

Lifeguard Lt. John Schooler said: “Some citizens have contacted me. . . . They’re serious enough about it that the council is trying to do something.”

Del Mar Mayor John Gillies said the council meets at 6 tonight for its regular meeting, and that proposed new beach ordinances are scheduled for debate.

Gillies said he believes Del Mar may be the only North Coast community where fires and alcohol are not banned on the beach. He said the ordinances would bring Del Mar in line with other beach communities.

Because Del Mar now allows such activity until 10 p.m., it has become a popular party spot for young people.

‘Unlawful Assembly’

“The complaints now are that parties go on until late at night. There is a lot of drinking. A lot of noise,” Gillies said.

Sgt. Chris Kee of the sheriff’s department Encinitas station said deputies were called to an “unlawful assembly” at 10:10 p.m., at the mouth of the river in north Del Mar. The crowd was ordered to leave because it was violating the 10 p.m. beach curfew but refused, Kee said.

He said some in the crowd began to pelt deputies with rocks and bottles as they tried to put out the fire and disperse the protesters.

The deputies called for assistance and eventually, with the help of the California Highway Patrol and the helicopter, the crowd was broken up.

Protest organizer Tostado conceded that liquor is a mainstay of the beach parties but said of the Sunday night clash: “There was no alcohol supplied by me. I sent out invitations for this party that said bring your own drinks.”

Lifeguard Schooler said the late-night, alcohol-laced parties pose serious problems for other beach-goers, many of whom find bottles, broken glass and other trash and debris in the sand in the morning.

He also pointed out that wooden pallets, which contain many nails, are often burned at beach parties.

“When the wood burns, the nails are left sticking in the sand,” Schooler said. “And that causes real problems when you’re walking barefoot in the sand the next morning.”