Orange County Sheriff’s deputies were continuing to search through surveillance and cellphone footage on Wednesday, May 31, for additional suspects involved in an assault of three off-duty Marines over the Memorial Day Weekend in San Clemente, officials said.
Four teen boys and a teen girl were arrested on Tuesday, May 30, after a video showing the group of teenagers physically assaulting the Marines at the San Clemente Pier circulated on Twitter over the weekend.
Those arrested were not publicly identified because they are juveniles.
The victims were attacked by about 20 teenagers at the pier around 9:50 p.m. on Friday, May 26, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Mike Woodroof. The Marines suffered minor injuries and were treated and released at the scene.
In the video, the group of teenagers are seen punching and kicking the Marines as the victims lay on the ground. They were booked into Orange County Juvenile Hall on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon not involving a firearm.
“When a person gets thrown to the ground and someone uses their feet to, say, stomp on their head, that’s considered a deadly weapon,” Woodroof said.
It was initially reported that two Marines were assaulted. In a Tuesday statement the Sheriff’s Department said a third Marine victim was located. All three are based out of Camp Pendleton, Woodroof said.
San Clemente Mayor Chris Duncan had said on Tuesday that additional suspects had been arrested but that was a mistake, Woodroof said. Additional suspects are still being sought by authorities.
“Now we work with law enforcement, schools, and parents to ensure nothing like this happens again in our town,” Duncan said in a Facebook post.
Anyone with information on the assault should contact the Orange County Sheriff’s Department at 949-425-1956. Anonymous information may be provided through Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.