NEWPORT BEACH : 150 Arrests Logged Over Fourth of July

More than 150 people were arrested on the Fourth of July on a variety of alcohol and disorderly conduct violations, officials said Thursday.

Although no serious injuries were reported, one police officer was hit in the head with a bottle of beer while investigating a report of a loud party, Sgt. Andy Gonis said. Another officer was injured late Tuesday night while trying to stop a man from driving down the beach in a four-wheel-drive truck.

In that incident, Detective Mark Fisher was helping in a police chase that began near Newport Pier. The suspect, who had been pulled over by police and then fled when they found a paint gun in his car, drove alternately on the sidewalk and on the sand from Newport Pier to Balboa Pier. Fisher tried to grab ahold of the truck and was dragged until the vehicle stalled in deep sand.

The suspect, whose name was not available, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer.

On Wednesday, even though police set up barricades at 32nd and Prospect streets and denied cars access to a large section of West Newport, crowds still formed throughout the afternoon and evening. Bicycle and pedestrian traffic was heavy, and although some people were cited for driving under the influence, Gonis said, city officers were mainly on the lookout for pedestrian violators.

Along with arresting people for drunk and disorderly conduct and driving bicycles or cars under the influence, the police also handed out several hundred citations for possession of fireworks and drinking in public. Police traveled in groups of three or four to investigate reports of loud or especially rowdy parties.