Police Break Up Rodman’s Party

Revisiting all-too-familiar territory, Newport Beach police Saturday shut down a raucous 40th birthday party for Dennis Rodman that featured what police said was an illegal helicopter landing on the sand and a loud rock concert.

After heated negotiations between Rodman and police, he agreed to move the party to his restaurant on Coast Highway, police spokesman Mike McDermott said. No arrests were made.

About 300 people attended the party, with about two-thirds--who were not invited--spilling onto the public beach outside the former basketball star’s house.

The incident was the latest in a series of confrontations with neighbors and police since Rodman moved to the beachfront area several years ago. This one began Friday when Rodman--preparing for the party--erected a temporary chain-link fence around part of the public beach in front of his home, McDermott said.

“We told him to take it down because it was encroaching on public property,” he said, “and he said ‘You do your job, and I’ll do what I have to do.’ ”

About 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Rodman made a dramatic entrance in a helicopter that circled the house several times before making what police say was an illegal landing on the beach, McDermott said.

The rock concert on his patio prompted about 50 complaints from irate neighbors, police said.

“They have to have permits to have live music, and they indicated they were not going to comply,” McDermott said of the concert featuring two rock bands--Live and Agrokulcher.

By late afternoon about 30 police officers--some wearing riot gear--had gathered nearby as Rodman’s lawyers negotiated with the Orange County district attorney’s office and Rodman argued with police.

“We were trying to get him to obey the law without an unfortunate confrontation,” said Newport Beach Police Lt. R.T. Long. “The dramatics and the antics were a bit much.”

After being threatened with arrest, Rodman agreed to move the party to Josh Slocum’s restaurant.

By 6 p.m., the restaurant was filled to capacity, with a long line of would-be celebrants still waiting to get in and Rodman again arguing with police.

Previous Rodman gatherings have resulted in more than 70 police visits and more than $3,000 in fines for violating local noise ordinances, a city record.