It was like spring break gone wrong.
The social-media-fueled Isla Vista street party replete with floats and bathing suits one Saturday in April 2014 took a dark turn. By about 9 p.m., authorities said, out-of-control young people chucked beer bottles, bricks, and rocks directly at police officers. More than 100 deputies were brought in from other areas. Police shut down the neighborhood and declared a civil disturbance. It became known as the Deltopia riots .
The following Tuesday, when Sheriff Bill Brown spoke before the Board of Supervisors about the incident, he said a 17-year-old man from Los Angeles swung a backpack stuffed with liquor bottles at a UCSB police officer’s face, knocked him to the ground, and cut him above the eyebrow. Because of the seriousness of the alleged crime, District Attorney Joyce Dudley decided to charge him as an adult in criminal court. She initially charged him with three felonies, including mayhem, resisting arrest, and assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer.