Fourth of July was marked with one death at a party in Latigo Canyon and numerous alcohol citations on beaches in Malibu, but otherwise, the holiday was fairly peaceful.
A man died at a Fourth of July party of about 700 people at an estate in Latigo Canyon.
The 25-year-old male, who was attending the party, was found at the bottom of a pool at 10:30 a.m. on July 5, well after festivities had ended. Paramedics were called and pronounced the man dead at the scene. The death is under investigation by Los Angeles Homicide Division.
Lt. Don Bear of L.A. Homicide said that witnesses said the victim allegedly had been drinking heavily during the party. An autopsy was performed, but the lab results from drug testing have yet to come in, so the official cause of death is still undetermined.
From Big Rock to Leo Carrillo, about 185,000 beachgoers were packed side by side on Malibu beaches on July 4. However, illegal fireworks and huge crowds proved to be less of a problem than alcohol, which is prohibited on the beaches.
“We had a lot of alcohol citations,” said Lt. Thom Bradstock of the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station. “Probably about 60 on the beach during the day–the busiest day we’ve had so far this year. Crowd control was not a problem. We had a very busy day. We had a lot of people down there. I was surprised because it was midweek, when normally it’s not quite that busy.”
Bradstock said that one person who was watching fireworks at Paradise Cove was arrested for drunk driving on Pacific Coast Highway after the show.
Travel along PCH was slow but not intolerable. Foot traffic along the shore was much more congested. “Mainly, nobody could get anywhere because the crowds were so big,” said Lifeguard Capt. Steve Page, laughing.
Bradstock said he’d never seen Malibu as busy as it was at 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. midweek on a holiday. But he observed that by 7 p.m., the horde of beachgoers had been replaced by about 5,000 people who came for the fireworks displays over the ocean.
Five fireworks permits were issued to private parties, according to the Fire Prevention office. Several black barges, which could be seen from PCH, floated a few hundred feet offshore. Cars were parked bumper-to-bumper along one section of the highway where one of the shows was taking place.
“They had several private parties along PCH, and it caused minor delays, but the traffic flow was actually pretty good,” said Bradstock. One person who attempted to launch his own fireworks on the beach without a permit was cited. Two others had their illegal fireworks confiscated by sheriff’s deputies.