MIJ-Z-MV-PARTY-1107
An alcohol-fueled party involving more than 100 youths led to a chaotic rampage in Mill Valley that injured a sheriff’s deputy, police said.
The party happened Saturday night on Ashford Avenue, the Mill Valley Police Department said. Police received a report of 100 to 200 youths yelling, drinking alcohol and throwing bottles in the area.
Police found youths along Ashford Avenue and in the CVS parking lot near East Blithedale Avenue. Officers tried to disperse the crowd and began citing minors who had alcohol.
“During this time, the crowd was moving in and out of CVS and throwing cans and bottles at officers in the area,” the department said in a statement. “As officers attempted to safely disperse the crowd, juveniles began jumping on a police car, throwing additional items and surrounding police vehicles.”
A sheriff’s deputy suffered minor injuries after being hit in the head by a can of alcohol.
A CVS manager said the store closed, and police advised other businesses in the area to lock up.
Police cited one youth under the “social host” ordinance for organizing the party and released the youth to parents. Another youth was cited for dangerous driving maneuvers in Bayfront Park.
Sarah Kass and Gary Klehr, who live on Ashford Avenue near CVS, said they heard bottles smashing and percussive sounds that seemed like gunshots but might have been fireworks.
Kass said the neighborhood is normally quiet and the upheaval was unsettling.
“It was weird — at first it sounded like a parade,” she said. “There was a weird feeling of negativity, of violence, in the air that was really unnerving.”
Klehr said it was the first time they felt an instinct to duck down in case of stray gunfire.
“We got nervous because there was an out-of-control aspect to it,” he said. “In all these years, it was the first time we had felt threatened in this way.”
The Mill Valley Police Department is reviewing footage and license plate numbers for more potential citations. Residents or businesses with footage or information for investigators can call the department’s anonymous tip line at 415-721-4547 or email PD-info@cityofmillvalley.org.
Originally published at Gary Klien