Beach Will Close Early to Prevent Holiday Violence

With record crowds expected, Huntington Beach officials have decided to close the 3 1/2 miles of city beach at dusk this Fourth of July weekend.

“The safest way (to prevent crime) is to close the beach before trouble starts,” said Police Lt. Charles R. Poe. “We don’t have the resources to handle the potential problems. We don’t have the resources to ensure a safe beach.”

The self-styled Surf City expects record crowds this weekend of 100,000 to 200,000 beach-goers, Poe said.

Thousands will come to watch the Op Pro Surfing Championships, adding more to the tens of thousands expected just to enjoy the beach and pier.

Crowds that size often invite problems, Poe said. Budget cuts also make it tougher for the police force to respond to calls all over the city.

The city beach, which normally closes at 10 p.m., will close at about 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The parking lots will close at 7 p.m. The 10 p.m. curfew resumes on Monday.

Huntington Beach traditionally has closed its beach early on Independence Day, but this is the first time the early curfew will be in effect the whole weekend, Poe said.

Signs will be posted announcing the early closure, and police and lifeguards will cruise the beaches at closing time.

For the surrounding beaches, however, it will be business as usual.

Huntington Beach State Park, Newport Beach, Seal Beach, San Clemente, Doheny State Beach, Bolsa Chica State Beach and Crystal Cove State Beach all will close at 10 p.m. Laguna Beach has no curfew.

Huntington Beach, along with other beaches, has experienced problems in the past on this holiday.

“We have had a lot of fights on the beach,” Poe said. “We have had stabbings on the beach, shootings on the beach.”

And there is also the matter of enforcing the beach’s ban on alcohol and the citywide ban on fireworks.

“The drinking goes with the fighting,” Poe said. “The drug use goes with the stabbing.”

A 1986 Labor Day weekend riot in Huntington Beach injured at least 40 people. Earlier that summer, a July 4 rock- and bottle-throwing ruckus in Newport Beach injured several police officers and resulted in 160 arrests.