Soccer Celebration Turns Rowdy

A thousand Mexican soccer fans took to the streets of Huntington Park on Thursday to celebrate their soccer team’s advancement to the second round of the World Cup, creating an unruly public party marred by 31 arrests and clashes with police.

Echoing celebrations of the last World Cup, fans waved Mexican flags and banners, occupied intersections and cruised the avenues for hours in roving celebrations that drew more than 300 officers from eight police agencies.

Although the crowds were mostly peaceful, some officers were pelted with rocks and bottles. Sheriffs deputies arrested 23 adults and eight juveniles for offenses ranging from vandalism to failure to disperse to assaulting a peace officer.

At least one neighborhood merchant had his windows smashed, and revelers attempted to turn over several cars, including one belonging to a sheriff’s deputy, deputies said.

The midmorning celebrations--which broke out after Mexico scored a last-second goal to tie the Netherlands and assure itself of a spot in the next round of World Cup competition in France--centered on Pacific and Florence avenues. Pacific Avenue features a collection of stores that have in recent years drawn large numbers of Latinos from throughout southeastern Los Angeles County.

Police were about to use tear gas on the crowd, but changed their minds when they realized that not all officers had gas masks. Instead, police said they shot off four “sting balls”--grenades that spray out hard rubber pellets--on rowdier elements.

There were several injuries reported in the same areas of Huntington Park throughout the day, including a gunshot wound and a pedestrian who was hit by a car, but authorities were unable to confirm whether they were connected to the soccer celebrations.

As the day wore on, tensions with the police eased and revelers broke up into smaller groups, gleefully walking the streets. By 2:30 p.m., major streets had reopened and ecstatic fans continued peacefully celebrating Mexico’s play.

“It’s fun to come out with the flags,” said Lorenzo Sanchez, who came from Bell Gardens after seeing televised coverage of the celebrations. “It’s all right to be out here as long as you don’t go overboard.”

Fans laid siege to the city’s streets about 9:30 a.m. after Mexico’s comeback against the highly regarded Netherlands team. Chanting “Mexico! Mexico!” fans climbed low-hanging roofs while others kicked a giant soccer ball down the street until it disintegrated.

Although many of the revelers were teenagers, soccer enthusiasts of all ages were in the cars whose drivers honked their horns and cruised Huntington Park. There were even small children, their faces painted the green, red and white of the Mexican flag, watching the riot police trying to control the crowds.

“They can have a celebration but this is too dangerous,” said Leonor Cuellar, an employee at a nearby Western Union office, voicing concern for the children.

Local business owners and bystanders seemed to feel that the celebrating had gone too far, but they also said the police did a much better job handling this outburst of national pride than during the last World Cup, held in the United States in 1994.

Twice that year, thousands more flooded downtown Huntington Park in response to strong performances by Mexico, and the celebrations deteriorated into looting and repeated violent clashes with police. Although fewer people were arrested in 1994, police and revelers agreed that this year’s party was more peaceful.

Peter Kim, the owner of a small grocery store at Florence and Seville avenues, was undisturbed Thursday, remembering that he had had his windows smashed during Mexico’s last World Cup competition. “This time, the police did a good job,” he said.

Mindful of the Huntington Park tradition of street celebrations for key Mexican soccer victories, the police and the Sheriff’s Department had planned crowd control measures for months, according to Deputy John McBride. Police were in the area before the partying began and maintained high visibility early.

There were a lot of “lessons learned from four years ago,” McBride said.

Mexico is hardly finished with World Cup play. The team faces the powerhouse German team Monday in an important match.

One woman, backed by a crowd shouting, “No nos vamos!” (We won’t go!) to a wall of sheriff’s deputies, made a loud promise to the assembled authorities.

“We’ll be back Monday!” she said.

Times staff writer Patrick Kerkstra contributed to this story.