Ocean City, Maryland’s Police Department (OCPD) has made a large number of arrests in the overnight hours.
Police said more than one hundred participants of the weekend pop-up rally were arrested and charged with various criminal and traffic offenses. Despite experiencing minor issues during the day, hundreds of participants became unruly and destructive in the evening hours.
Incidents throughout town progressed from social gatherings to unruly and violent behavior among the large crowds, specifically in the downtown area. At approximately 11:50 p.m., Ocean City Police made the request for the second wave of allied law enforcement assistance. Assistance arrived from across the eastern shore to help with crowds, disorderly conduct, and assaults.
“This is not a car show and the majority of these visitors are not car enthusiasts,” stated Ocean City Police Chief Ross Buzzuro.
“They are here to disrupt, destroy, and disrespect our community and our law enforcement officers. Our policing philosophy is to be friendly, fair, and firm. Unfortunately, the disorderly behavior and unruly crowds left no choice but to shift our philosophy and take additional steps to protect our officers and our community.”
At the time of their press release, 5:00 a.m. Sunday morning, OCPD officers were still on the scene of several incidents.
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