35 Held, 9 Officers Injured as Party Erupts Into Fight

A Los Angeles County sheriff’s sergeant and eight deputies were injured and 35 people were arrested in a melee that erupted when deputies broke up an overcrowded party, authorities said Sunday.

Neighbors complained to deputies about 10:20 p.m. Saturday that celebrants at a large party in the 18400 block of Noran Avenue in Cerritos had broken into a fight in the street using sticks and knives, Deputy Roger Hom said.

Deputies ordered the crowd to disperse, but the group ignored the order and began pelting the deputies with rocks, bottles and chunks of bricks and concrete, Hom said.

One sergeant and eight deputies suffered minor injuries in the fracas, he said. They were treated at three area hospitals and released.

Information on the nature of the party and why the fights had broken out was not immediately available, Hom said, noting that the people at the party were not believed to be gang members.

Thirty-two adults and three teen-agers were arrested for unlawful assembly, failure to disperse and battery on a peace officer.

Twelve women were booked at the Lakewood sheriff’s station, 20 men were booked at the Men’s Central Jail and the three teen-agers were released to their parents.