15 Arrests at Concert as 4 Officers Are Hurt

Five people were injured and 15 were arrested Saturday night when police responded to a stabbing at a San Bernardino punk-rock concert and clashed with concertgoers, authorities said.

The stabbing victim, whose name was not released, remained hospitalized Sunday, said Sgt. Dale Blackwell of the San Bernardino Police Department. Four officers and another concertgoer suffered injuries, he said. The officers were treated at a hospital and released.

Two police cars were destroyed, Blackwell said, and four others damaged. Concertgoers also smashed windows and ransacked nearby businesses.

Officers made arrests for alleged offenses including public drunkenness, assault with a deadly weapon and burglary, Blackwell said.

The concert, called British Invasion 2K6, started at 2 p.m. at the National Orange Show Events Center. Bands included the Adicts, Vice Squad and GBH.

San Bernardino police received a call reporting a beating at the concert shortly after 7 p.m., Blackwell said.

That was quickly upgraded to a stabbing, he said.

When six officers and a supervisor arrived and tried to reach the victim, the crowd, estimated at several thousand, turned “hostile toward the police,” he said, and they were forced to retreat.

Rocks and bottles were thrown at officers, “and the crowd just kept surging on,” Blackwell said.

San Bernardino police called for help from neighboring agencies.

More than 190 officers ended up at the scene, the sergeant said, representing 10 agencies, including the California Highway Patrol and the Claremont, Fontana and Pomona police departments.

San Bernardino police shot tear gas outside, Blackwell said, and officers from other departments shot beanbag rounds.