Tonight at 8pm, the City of Huntington Beach will enact a curfew for specific locations in the city. The curfew will include the area from Yorktown to the Pacific Ocean, and Beach Blvd to Goldenwest.
This curfew was established after approximately 500 people were protesting in the area of Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street. The protest turned violent and caused the Huntington Beach Police Department to declare an unlawful assembly.
The protest was declared an unlawful assembly after protesters became violent with numerous assaults, and officers observed protesters with weapons such as pepper spray and various impact weapons. In addition, the protesters were blocking traffic on PCH and refused to leave the area after being asked to do so by officers.
Multiple weapons including cinder blocks, weights and rocks were located hidden in several of our alleys in the downtown area, indicating a precursor to planned violence.
After several hours of dispersing the crowd, officers continue to break up multiple groups in our downtown area. So far today we have arrested 17 suspects for various charges. The curfew will be in effect from 8pm – 5:30am, and will remain in place until further notice.
Link to Press Release PDF Here
