15-Year-Old Boy Arrested in Huntington Beach Rioting

Seven males were arrested in connection with rioting following the U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach on Sunday

A 15-year-old boy was arrested in connection with Sunday’s rioting in the streets of Huntington Beach following the U.S. Open of Surfing, police said.

On a tip from the public, police identified the teen from Huntington Beach as one of the rioters who was throwing glass bottles at officers on Main Street and tipping over portable toilets, Huntington Beach police said in a press release.

Detectives arrested the unidentified teen on suspicion of assault on a peace officer, felony vandalism, inciting a riot, and refusing to disperse.

He was being held at the Orange County Juvenile Hall. He was not identified because he is a minor.

More than 100 police officers responded to the rioting in "Surf City USA" after a fight broke out across from the beach where thousands of spectators had gathered for the popular nine-day U.S. Open of Surfing.

The mob toppled portable toilets, threw items from rooftops and smashed car windows along a strip lined with restaurants, bars and surf and skate shops.

More than 100 police officers worked to break up the melee. Some fired pepper balls and rubber projectiles.

Police were still looking for a man caught on video using a stop sign to break a display window at the Easyrider Bike Shop, said Lt. Mitch O'Brien, a Huntington Beach Police Department spokesman.

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