Violence Mars 4th of July Celebration in Newport : Holiday: Most of the city’s 225 arrests--fewer than normal--are on minor charges, but three violent incidents are reported.

A beating, a stabbing and a shooting marred the usual “Mardi Gras” atmosphere of this city’s annual Fourth of July celebration.

While police said that the 225 arrests citywide were actually fewer than normal for the Fourth, a smattering of incidents seemed to mark an escalation of violence in the traditional party-like ambience that pervades the beach city each year at this time.

“These are young people having the time of their lives,” Police Sgt. Ken Cowell said. “There’s a lot of girl-meets-boy, boy-meets-girl stuff going on. Just people bumping into people, saying: ‘Hi, happy Fourth of July,’ drinking, shooting off fireworks, whipping up and down the streets. Somebody sets off a cherry bomb and 500 people cheer. Somebody shoots a water balloon at a policeman . . . and 2,000 people cheer. A fight breaks out and everybody goes: ‘Yeah, right, this is great.’ ”

Cowell said that the beating, stabbing and shooting incidents were isolated and separate from the majority of arrests, which occurred in a concentrated area on Balboa Peninsula from 32nd to 54th streets and including all the 100 blocks between Seashore Drive and Balboa Boulevard, what he called the “epicenter.”

Most of those arrests, police said, were alcohol-related, with a variety of other arrests made for offenses related to fireworks and disturbing the peace.

In the first violent incident, which took place shortly after 7:30 p.m. Saturday, police said a 17-year-old Santa Ana resident was walking on the beach with a friend when he was confronted by about 10 apparent gang members who asked: “What do you guys claim?” The young man did not respond and was trying to walk away when one of his questioners struck him twice in the head with a baseball bat.

The youth, whom police would not identify because of his age, was taken to Hoag Hospital with head and face injuries.

About three hours later, Enrique Alvarado, 25, of Fullerton, was walking with some women friends when a fight broke out between them and another group. After attempting to intervene, Alvarado was stabbed in the lower back by a man who then fled. Alvarado was taken to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana, where he was reported in stable condition.

The final altercation of the weekend occurred early Sunday at 21st Street and West Ocean Front when three people were shot during a fight. The most seriously injured was identified as a 17-year-old youth who was shot in the chest. Also injured were a 16-year-old boy and 21-year-old Minh Hoang of Santa Ana.

Hoang was taken to Hoag Hospital, where he was treated and released. Police would not release the names of the two other victims, or information on their conditions.

Police in Huntington Beach, meanwhile, reported arresting 104 people over the weekend, mostly for alcohol-related offenses. “We had arrests for assaults, for burglary, for robbery, but the vast majority were the result of officers responding to the downtown area where there were continuous parties,” said Lt. Luis Ochoa.

The parties began after the town’s annual parade, which drew about 300,000 people, ended at 1 p.m. Saturday. They continued into the wee hours Sunday morning. “Parties sprung up here and there,” Ochoa said. “These people came down here to party. They don’t care about anything else.”

Times staff writer Lynn Smith contributed to this story.