The Region : 200 Join Disturbance at Pier; 2 Arrested

A 3 a.m. melee involving 200 people on the Santa Monica Pier resulted in two arrests and a minor injury to a police officer. Sgt. Russell Martin, Santa Monica police patrol watch commander, said officers arriving at the Boathouse Restaurant on the pier early Saturday encountered the crowd milling around two dozen youths who were pummeling each other. A barrage of bottles greeted the police, causing a minor injury to the hand of one officer. “Twenty-five were actually involved in a knock-down, drag-out fight,” Martin said. Police do not know the cause of the fight but suspect that antagonisms between different neighborhoods prompted it. Booked on suspicion of disturbing the peace and resisting arrest were William Alvarez, 18, of Venice and Jose Gonzalez, 18, of Los Angeles.