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New Year's Eve itself was quiet at San Diego hot spots
But crime surged on weekend before in Gaslamp, T.J., Ocean Beach, Pacific Beach
On New Year’s Eve in San Diego County, the night brought a grim start to 2025 with two boys shot in Escondido, while across the border in Tijuana, a family of four was reportedly shot at, leaving two children and their father injured. Meanwhile, the usual nightlife hotspots like the Gaslamp District, Pacific Beach, and Ocean Beach saw assaults and robberies, though reports suggest the crowds were thinner than on busier holidays.
Danny Ayer, better known in the Gaslamp District as the Pedicabber Extraordinaire, spent the night weaving through downtown, transporting revelers past midnight. “I see fights every night,” Ayer told me, “but I didn’t witness a New Year’s fight.” That said, incidents still unfolded throughout the area.
According to Crimemapping.com, crimes involving robbery, assault, or battery were reported in the downtown area. At about 11:38 p.m. on G Street near popular spots like Toro, Whiskey Girl, and Mr. Tempo Cantina, a man was reported for battery on a peace officer or emergency personnel. At midnight, near E Street and Sixth Avenue, a man assaulted someone he knew in a parking lot. And as the bars closed, chaos continued—nearby, a woman threatened a San Diego Police officer with violence. Other incidents downtown included robberies near the Hard Rock Hotel and Santa Fe Depot, though no weapons were reportedly used.
In Pacific Beach, at around 7:40 p.m., a man assaulted someone near the now-shuttered Tacos el Trompo restaurant. As the countdown to midnight neared, another assault occurred on Garnet Avenue near Mavericks and Backyard Kitchen & Tap. After the new year's hugs and salutations, incidents escalated: a woman assaulted someone with a deadly weapon, and another assault followed shortly after on Ocean Boulevard. At 1:30 a.m., yet another attack unfolded on Garnet Avenue by McDonald’s.
While Ocean Beach Pier and its surroundings remained quiet, according to police reports on Patch.com, violence surged up in North County. In Escondido, officers responded to the backside of the 1100 block of East Third Avenue around 11:30 p.m. to find two juvenile males suffering from gunshot wounds. “Both victims were transported by paramedics to Palomar Medical Center for treatment,” said Escondido Police Department's Ryan Hicks, adding that both were listed in stable condition.
Danny Ayer: “I see fights every night.”
A couple of hours later, someone was stabbed to the west. At around 2:45 a.m. in Vista, deputies discovered a man on the 1400 block of Oak Drive with stab wounds following a fight, according to 911 Video News, who was on the scene. The victim was transported to a hospital in serious condition.
Across the border, Tijuana’s Punto Norte reported a harrowing attack on a family of four traveling in a Mazda around 1 a.m. in the Jardines de La Mesa neighborhood. The father, a 45-year-old man, along with his 16-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son, we;;re struck by bullets, while the mother, uninjured, drove them to the hospital.
Back in San Diego, also on New Year's Eve, Newsreel Media posted video footage of incidents filmed in the Gaslamp District. But the content was filmed three days earlier, capturing bloody fights and arrests. One video shows the aftermaths of the bloodied scuffles; three men had blood on their faces and clothing.
Another clip depicted police pepper-spraying a man outside Toro Nightclub on Fifth Avenue. Nearby, a handcuffed woman shouted at officers, denying involvement in a fight, as bystanders argued over what had transpired. The handcuffed girl was placed in the patrol car, and as she yelled at the police officer mid-sentence, the police shut the door in her face.
Reflecting on the chaos, Ayer, the pedicab driver at Gaslamp District I spoke to earlier, noted, “The streets getting closed down actually are the reason these mob fights happen,” he said. “Everybody congregates like a big block party, and it just gets completely out of control—and that’s just on the busy nights.”
Fortunately for downtown patrons, police, and pedicab drivers, New Year’s Eve landing on a Tuesday seemed to temper the usual rowdiness.
Here's something you might be interested in.
New Year's Eve itself was quiet at San Diego hot spots
But crime surged on weekend before in Gaslamp, T.J., Ocean Beach, Pacific Beach
New Year's Eve itself was quiet at San Diego hot spots
But crime surged on weekend before in Gaslamp, T.J., Ocean Beach, Pacific Beach
On New Year’s Eve in San Diego County, the night brought a grim start to 2025 with two boys shot in Escondido, while across the border in Tijuana, a family of four was reportedly shot at, leaving two children and their father injured. Meanwhile, the usual nightlife hotspots like the Gaslamp District, Pacific Beach, and Ocean Beach saw assaults and robberies, though reports suggest the crowds were thinner than on busier holidays.
Danny Ayer, better known in the Gaslamp District as the Pedicabber Extraordinaire, spent the night weaving through downtown, transporting revelers past midnight. “I see fights every night,” Ayer told me, “but I didn’t witness a New Year’s fight.” That said, incidents still unfolded throughout the area.
According to Crimemapping.com, crimes involving robbery, assault, or battery were reported in the downtown area. At about 11:38 p.m. on G Street near popular spots like Toro, Whiskey Girl, and Mr. Tempo Cantina, a man was reported for battery on a peace officer or emergency personnel. At midnight, near E Street and Sixth Avenue, a man assaulted someone he knew in a parking lot. And as the bars closed, chaos continued—nearby, a woman threatened a San Diego Police officer with violence. Other incidents downtown included robberies near the Hard Rock Hotel and Santa Fe Depot, though no weapons were reportedly used.
In Pacific Beach, at around 7:40 p.m., a man assaulted someone near the now-shuttered Tacos el Trompo restaurant. As the countdown to midnight neared, another assault occurred on Garnet Avenue near Mavericks and Backyard Kitchen & Tap. After the new year's hugs and salutations, incidents escalated: a woman assaulted someone with a deadly weapon, and another assault followed shortly after on Ocean Boulevard. At 1:30 a.m., yet another attack unfolded on Garnet Avenue by McDonald’s.
While Ocean Beach Pier and its surroundings remained quiet, according to police reports on Patch.com, violence surged up in North County. In Escondido, officers responded to the backside of the 1100 block of East Third Avenue around 11:30 p.m. to find two juvenile males suffering from gunshot wounds. “Both victims were transported by paramedics to Palomar Medical Center for treatment,” said Escondido Police Department's Ryan Hicks, adding that both were listed in stable condition.
Danny Ayer: “I see fights every night.”
A couple of hours later, someone was stabbed to the west. At around 2:45 a.m. in Vista, deputies discovered a man on the 1400 block of Oak Drive with stab wounds following a fight, according to 911 Video News, who was on the scene. The victim was transported to a hospital in serious condition.
Across the border, Tijuana’s Punto Norte reported a harrowing attack on a family of four traveling in a Mazda around 1 a.m. in the Jardines de La Mesa neighborhood. The father, a 45-year-old man, along with his 16-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son, we;;re struck by bullets, while the mother, uninjured, drove them to the hospital.
Back in San Diego, also on New Year's Eve, Newsreel Media posted video footage of incidents filmed in the Gaslamp District. But the content was filmed three days earlier, capturing bloody fights and arrests. One video shows the aftermaths of the bloodied scuffles; three men had blood on their faces and clothing.
Another clip depicted police pepper-spraying a man outside Toro Nightclub on Fifth Avenue. Nearby, a handcuffed woman shouted at officers, denying involvement in a fight, as bystanders argued over what had transpired. The handcuffed girl was placed in the patrol car, and as she yelled at the police officer mid-sentence, the police shut the door in her face.
Reflecting on the chaos, Ayer, the pedicab driver at Gaslamp District I spoke to earlier, noted, “The streets getting closed down actually are the reason these mob fights happen,” he said. “Everybody congregates like a big block party, and it just gets completely out of control—and that’s just on the busy nights.”
Fortunately for downtown patrons, police, and pedicab drivers, New Year’s Eve landing on a Tuesday seemed to temper the usual rowdiness.
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