LAKEPORT, Calif. — Authorities in Lakeport were busy on Thursday as part of overseeing the city’s popular annual Independence Day event, capped with a nighttime fireworks display.

Thursday saw thousands of people descend on Lakeport for the event.

“We had a fair amount of stuff going on,” said Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen.

Rasmussen said there was, once again, a large mutual aid contingent who came to support Lakeport Police.

In total, there were 34 law enforcement officers from seven agencies, including six Cal Fire officers, plus the Lakeport Fire Department, which shared unified command with the Lakeport Police Department, Rasmussen said.

Rasmussen said there were 11 citations given for illegal fireworks both at Library Park and the safe and sane fireworks discharge area on Fourth Street, and other areas of town.

There also was an arrest of a male subject for fireworks in the park who ended up threatening to kill police officers. Rasmussen said that individual was charged with felony obstruction.

There were a handful of seizures of other illegal fireworks and a few problems with people setting off both illegal and safe and sane fireworks in Library Park after the city’s main fireworks display. Rasmussen said safe and sane fireworks are not allowed in the city’s parklands.

“We had a lot of illegal aerial fireworks going off,” both at the park and across the city, Rasmussen said. “That remained a significant problem.”

After 11 p.m. on July 4, safe and sane fireworks become illegal in Lakeport, based on city code. Rasmussen said there were multiple police and fire units ordering everyone to shut down and go home from Willow Tree Plaza in particular.

As people were starting to leave that area, an illegal firework was thrown towards a vehicle, and Rasmussen said it ended up hitting a woman in the foot, causing a minor injury. She declined an ambulance and instead her family transported her to the hospital.

There also were five smoldering dumpster fires, which Rasmussen said is pretty common.

In addition, Rasmussen said there were some drunk driving and disorderly conduct arrests.

There were two other notable incidents. One was a motorcycle pursuit that began in the city, followed Highway 29 to Highway 20 and ended at the west edge of Lucerne, where the rider was taken into custody without incident. Rasmussen said the top speed was 75 miles per hour and, with light traffic, the pursuit was allowed to continue.

There also was a boat crash on the lake near the Reeves Lane area. It was reported over the radio that people were in the water and at least one was transported to medical care. Rasmussen said the sheriff’s office and Lakeport Fire responded to the incident, and he had no additional information.

This year’s celebration also had a new aspect in play with Xabatin Park being open for the event.

“This is the first year that park’s been in the mix,” said Rasmussen.

Xabatin Park had a good crowd — mostly families and children — throughout the day, with the ninja gym and basketball court full of kids, Rasmussen said.

“It was the calmest area of the town,” said Rasmussen.

Before dark it filled up for the fireworks show. Rasmussen said there were eight law enforcement officers working the park. In a few cases, they found people trying to use safe and sane fireworks at the park and they were advised not to.

“That was the one area where alcohol was not allowed,” said Rasmusen.

There were people drinking there but they were doing it on the sly and being calm about it

Overall, “It would be not the worst year we’ve had but also not the quietest,” said Rasmussen.

He said police management also spent a lot of time answering questions from the public about why the City Council didn’t shut down fireworks this year because of fire danger.

In the case of the safe and sane fireworks, in November 2009, city voters approved Measure C, which requires the city to allow the sales by a group of designated nonprofits.

Rasmussen said that the City Council could only stop them if the governor declared the county and city as being under extreme peril from the potential for fire, and then they could be suspended for the year.

While police fielded a lot of questions from people concerned about fireworks, Rasmussen said they received an equal number of comments from people who like having them.

This is Rasmussen’s last July 4 as Lakeport's police chief. He retires next month and in January will take over as the new District 4 representative on the Lake County Board of Supervisors.

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