More than a dozen Worcester County sheriff’s deputies were called to the Ocean City Boardwalk for a Fourth of July “takeover” that resulted terror and chaos after fireworks shot into the crowd were thought to be an active shooter.
Sheriff Matt Crisafulli credited his deputies on the scene, brought in at the request of Ocean City officials, with saving lives that night.
“It’s because of their efforts that we miraculously avoided any fatalities in Ocean City this weekend. I’m proud of my men and women and I’m extremely proud of the working partnership we have with our allied law enforcement agencies,” he said.
Resort officials were warned of a “takeover” event promoted through social media, which lured a young and ultimately unruly crowd to the Boardwalk for the night of July 4.
Ocean City officials learned about a week in advance to expect the wave of activity and notified the sheriff’s office and state police that their help was going to be needed, according to Mayor Rick Meehan.
Police agencies were busy that Friday night dealing with a range of incidents, including handgun arrests, strong-arm robberies, assaults, a shooting, and a struck pedestrian. Videos online show people setting off fireworks and jumping on vehicles and running through the streets.
When someone discharged fireworks into the crowd on the Boardwalk at 3rd Street, it set off a near-riot, with hundreds of people stampeding away from the area in fear for their lives.
“They feared it was a mass shooter,” Crisafulli said. “People coming into this community and instilling fear in our residents like that, it’s not going to be tolerated. When people bring behaviors we observed this past weekend, it’s going to deter people from wanting to come into our community and vacationing in our tourist location. From a public safety standpoint, it’s zero-tolerance.”