Michael John Lytle, Fullerton California firefighter was among those arrested on suspicion of participating in the Huntington Beach riot over the weekend, authorities said. Lytle was arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, and has since been placed on administrative leave, NBC Los Angeles reported.
"With firefighters, it's especially tough because we hold ourselves to such a high standard," Fullerton Fire Chief Wolfgang Knabe told NBC4.
19-year-old Chase Scott Christman also pleaded not guilty to vandalism and other charges. Christman, of Simi Valley, is charged with one felony count of vandalism, one misdemeanor count of inciting a riot, and one misdemeanor count of refusal to disperse. He was ordered by a Superior Court judge not to return to Huntington Beach.
The violence broke at the Vans U.S Open of Surfing competition . This event is an amalgam of surfing, BMX biking events and skateboarding in Huntington Beach. The mayhem occurred as a fistfight broke out, leading to chaos involving the destruction of city vehicles, newspaper racks street signs and portable toilets near and on Main Street in the Southern California area of Huntington Beach. Scenes of vandalism and disorderly conduct were rampant on Sunday.
Authorities are seeking one man who was photographed smashing a bicycle shop display window with a stop sign.
Social media, like Facebook, has played a prominent role in the investigation, as many of the incidents were photographed and posted on web sites. Police have asked for help identifying the man seen in an image in which he appears to be celebrating with his arms raised. It is a one of several photos as investigators continue to identify those involved in Sunday's violence along Main Street.
