CityWalk Returns to Normal After Melee : Leisure: Officials say attendance has not been affected by gang fight that resulted in eight arrests.

Just 36 hours after a gang brawl erupted on its fantasy streetscape, Universal CityWalk was calm Sunday, as children frolicked in a fountain, people munched away in outdoor cafes and couples strolled hand-in-hand.

The only sign that there had been fighting two nights earlier at the simulated urban promenade adjacent to Universal Studios were television news crews that had gathered to see what effect the scuffle might have on attendance.

The answer was none, according to security officials.

CityWalk officials on Saturday had said they would increase security at the year-old tourist attraction of upscale shops, restaurants and an 18-screen movie theater. But Thomas W. Gilmore, vice president and general manager of CityWalk, said on Sunday that normal security staffing was in place Saturday night and Sunday, both days without incident.

“It was an isolated incident that security contained very quickly,” Gilmore said of the fight that took place about 11:30 p.m. Friday in front of the theater complex. Sheriff deputies arrested eight people, including two juveniles, on charges ranging from misdemeanor battery to assault with a deadly weapon.

“This has been a place where people can come together from throughout the city and have a good time and not be hassled,” Gilmore said. “We will not tolerate any problems here. We are constantly talking with the Sheriff’s Department on how to prevent problems.”

Among those preventive tactics is enforcement of the county’s 10 p.m. curfew for minors and the implementation of a code of conduct last fall, which asks visitors to refrain from obscene language, ethnic slurs, boisterous activity and wearing attire “in a manner likely to provoke a disturbance.” Gilmore denied that the last provision was aimed specifically at gang members, saying it applied to all visitors.

Included in the definition of unacceptable dress, according to Gilmore, is wearing baseball caps backward.

“We would ask anyone wearing a cap backwards, regardless of age, to turn their caps around,” he said. “If people don’t comply with the code, we could ask them to leave.

“We’re not trying to create a police state, but we will pursue all means necessary to ensure safety for everyone. We have a responsibility to all those who come here to have a good time.”

On Sunday, however, several people, mostly teen-agers and children, were wearing caps backward without being stopped by security officials. One teen-ager even stopped a security guard to ask for directions without being reprimanded for his improper headgear.

Sheriff’s Deputy John Hilliard said enforcement of the conduct code is left to private security guards since a violation is not a crime. Security guard Mike Pete said the code is enforced “just if they get out of hand.”

Adam Bauer, 24, of Northridge, was walking out of the Upper Deck Authenticated Sports Memorabilia store wearing his cap backward. He was surprised to hear that he was in violation of the conduct code.

“I’ve been told to put my shirt back on, but I have never been told to turn my cap around,” Bauer said. “I can understand them asking me to put my shirt back on, but not being allowed to wear my cap backwards is going a little far. It doesn’t mean nothing.”