SF Giants Celebrations Spark Bonfires, Traffic Disruptions
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Police in riot gear attempted to disperse crowds of people in the Mission District where several large piles of burning debris were dotting Mission and Valencia streets hours after the San Francisco Giants' World Series victory against the Detroit Tigers Sunday night.
Around 12:45 a.m., officers on Mission Street near 16th Street announced to the crowd of revelers that they were participating in an "unlawful assembly" and were told to leave the area. At least one crowd member in the area was arrested early Monday morning.
Giants fans initially started pouring into the streets from homes and bars in the Mission District and in neighborhoods throughout San Francisco after the Giants' World Series win a short time before 9 p.m. Sunday.
Cheers, car horns, fireworks and beaming fans dressed in orange, black and panda hats filled city streets well after midnight.
Just after midnight, several dozen celebrating fans on Larkin Street in front of Civic Center Plaza cheered, drank and surrounded the few cars able to drive through the area.
Police have been deploying units to hot spots around the city, Officer Carlos Manfredi said.
"Obviously the crowd is celebrating and spilling over into the streets, so we're making sure everybody stays safe and nobody gets injured," Manfredi said.
The celebrations have caused street closures and significant delays for traffic and public transit as well, according to the Department of Emergency Services.
Larkin and McAllister Streets near Polk in the Civic Center are closed and residents are advised not to drive unless necessary, according to city officials.
San Francisco will hold a ticker tape parade and civic celebration in honor of the Giants on Wednesday, Mayor Ed Lee announced Sunday.
The parade in honor of the Giants' World Series victory against the Detroit Tigers was set to start at 11 a.m. at the foot of Market Street and continue to Civic Center Plaza, Lee said.
The Giants swept the Tigers, winning the series in Game 4 in Detroit Sunday night with a 4-3 victory. It was the team's second World Series win in three years.
(Copyright 2012 CBS San Francisco & Bay City News Service. All rights reserved.)
