San Diego: Naked swimmer, 2 others arrested at beach, almost incites riot

SAN DIEGO — Police tried to subdue a naked man by using a Taser Saturday at Ocean Beach before they were able to arrest him and two other men who interfered with the arrest as a crowd of about 100 people surrounded officers and lifeguards, authorities said.

Police were called at 2:12 p.m. to the beach near Newport Avenue after lifeguards called for help with the man, who had been swimming in the ocean before walking onto the beach, where lifeguards approached him to issue a citation.

Police suspected he was under the influence of drugs, said San Diego police Officer David Stafford.

Police tried to restrain the man with a Taser, shooting darts at him with no effect, Stafford said. They then used hand-held Tasers several times before physically restraining him, he said. As police tried to arrest the man, a crowd of about 100 people gathered around the lifeguards and police officers.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jan/30/lifeguards-clash-with-crowd-over-naked-swimmer/

seems an unlikely place for this to happen, as it is a pretty hip and cool place, would probably be the DU gathering ground... someone's probably buying a Doors LP at this moment... The Black is the county's oldest and largest head shop (I mean smoke shop)... the neighborhood rallied against a Starbucks opening there... being that liberal I would assume that a naked man would cause hardly a stir. However this being conservative San Diego, I'm not that surprised. But I would be less surprised if this story took place in uptight Coronado, or La Jolla or Del Mar.
The thing about the crowd of 100 people surrounding the officers is rather Ocean Beach though. I'm not surprised that there would be a protest against the use of a Taser or other means of force. Too bad the man didn't swim further south at the foot of Ladera street, a pocket beach which has unofficially been clothing optional for years, though people scramble to put suits on if word passes that any authority figures are coming down the cliff. If the man had gone much further to the north at the world-known Black's Beach there would not even have been a news story, even though nudity is not legal there it is not enforced unless there is a complaint, and there are no complaints.

the cop shop is only a few doors down from the black, and there's always at least one, if not two prowlers loitering in the pier parking lot. and for whatever reason, it seems that the cops patrolling the beach areas are always the biggest red-asses.

This man was obviously oblivious to the bone-chilling January Pacific ocean water temps as well as a barrage of Tasers. I can't picture a "nature-lover" even attempting a swim there (much less in the middle of a surfing-only zone and the pier). He was probably one of the young/homeless who congregate at the foot of the pier who was under the influence of something really strong.

I agree that the crowd reaction, however, was pure OB.

For photos and the local view read here:

http://obrag.org/?p=17281

-JB


:hi: to Frylock

"Onlookers on the boardwalk reacted with obscenities, shouting, “F- the police!” and “Pigs!”

Within minutes, at least a dozen more police cars arrived at the intersection of Abbot and Newport. “This is the stuff that can start a riot,” said a man, who was watching from the pier. A taser was used on a man standing on the seawall."

OB is awesome!

OB is the MOST likely place. Civil unrest is part of the culture.

Why call the cops? Just send Pam out to give him some mouth to mouth.

Imminent threat! Subdue at all costs!!!

:eyes:

but he and his crew work at Ocean Beach Adjacent...not Notch's turf. ;)

I wonder how police in France and Italy will be handling cases of women (or men?) running around in burqas?