Briefly In Public Safety

Several cited for alcohol and marijuana Saturday

Laguna Beach Police cited six to eight individuals for alcohol on the beach, glass on the beach, cigarettes on the beach or possession of marijuana Saturday at Three Arch Bay.

Residents called security after 3 p.m. saying 15 men were throwing bottles on the beach. Security initially responded to the scene, but the group of 25 individuals didn’t comply with their request to get rid of the alcohol, so security called police, Laguna Beach Police Sgt. Louise Callus wrote in an email.

Callus said it was too difficult to identify everyone involved because many of the perpetrators scattered when officers arrived. Police reportedly disposed of 40 to 50 bottles and cans of alcohol.

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Woman goes to hospital after bicycle crash

A 36-year-old Newport Beach woman went to the hospital after a bicycle crash Sunday along Laguna Canyon Road, Callus said.

The woman was riding a bicycle southbound on the road with a group of 50 riders at 11:25 a.m. when she hit a cone near an Edison work crew.

She went to Mission Hospital Mission Viejo with a head injury, but is in fair condition with non life-threatening injuries, police said. She was wearing a helmet.

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Man walks into dealership with machete

A man walked into a Laguna Canyon Road auto dealership on Monday with a machete attached to his belt and later hung an AR-15 rifle on a car, according to the police log.

An 18-to-20-year-old male Latino, 5-foot-8, 160 pounds with short black spiky hair wearing a green shirt and black pants asked to sit inside one of the cars.

As he sat down, he removed his belt, which had a machete attached to it. Police determined the machete was in a sheath. An employee asked the man to leave. The man entered a white Jeep, pulled out an AR-15 rifle and hung it on the back of the vehicle. The man was last seen heading outbound on Laguna Canyon Road, the police log said.

The Jeep has a black and brown design on the side.

Police said the man wasn’t arrested because he didn’t commit a crime (he didn’t brandish the weapon at anyone), Callus said. She added that it is not illegal to possess an AR-15 in California. Officers can request to inspect the weapon if seen in public (the rifle can’t be loaded).

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Applications sought for CERT

The Laguna Beach Police Department is accepting applications for the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).

Training will begin 6 to 9 p.m. March 20 with classes meeting weekly. One Saturday course will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 4. Attendance is mandatory for all classes. Laguna Beach residents or workers within the city at least 18 years old with no felony convictions are eligible. Applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. March 18.

Classes will cover: disaster preparedness, fire safety, light search and rescue, disaster psychology and traffic control. CERT is a group of volunteers who assist during a disaster.

Interested applicants may fill out the online registration form at https://www.lagunabeachcity.net and email it to Jordan Villwock, CERT coordinator, at jvillwock@lagunabeachcity.net. Applicants can also drop off forms at the police department, 505 Forest Ave.

Contact Villwock at (949) 497-0701 for more information.

—Bryce Alderton