Brian Shane

DelmarvaNow

H2O International, an annual show for Volkswagen and Audi enthusiasts, filled Ocean City over the weekend with thousands of low-slung and tricked-out sedans — and left the police department catching their breath to keep up with all the nuisance calls.

"It was definitely a busy weekend for our officers," said Lindsay O'Neal, police spokeswoman. "It was very taxing and very resource-intense. We were out in full force all weekend, even Thursday and Friday. When that many people get together, peace and good order can be an issue."

O'Neal said the stretch of southbound Coastal Highway between 45th Street and the convention center at 40th Street became a runway of sorts, a place to see and be seen among lovers of Volkswagens, Audis, and other water-cooled or import vehicles.

At least one fight erupted at the 45th Street Village shopping center, quickly turning into a mob scene that was captured on video by several onlookers.

YouTube video of mob scene during H2O

With literally thousands of people packing the sidewalk, crowd control became a major issue. That led to another odd crime in that vicinity: two men arrested for punching a horse.

The name of the horse is Benson, and he's a senior equine member of the Ocean City police mounted unit. Police said two men took a swing at Benson while his mounted officer was on crowd control duty Saturday.

Police charged Eric Ryan Dudkiewicz, 23, of Norristown, Pennsylvania, and Demetrios Xanthos, 26, of North Arlington, New Jersey, with interfering with a police animal.

Dudkiewicz was walking southbound on the sidewalk at about 1:15 a.m., when, according to police reports, and he reached out and struck the horse on the animal's left side. He also reached under the left saddlebag. An officer nearby stopped Dudkiewicz by grabbing him by the shirt.

Less than an hour later, at 2:25 a.m., it happened again. Police said Xanthos was also walking south on the sidewalk, to the left of mounted officer Joseph Laughlin. According to police, Xanthos reached out and hit Benson, and attempted to grab the saddlebag.

Officer Joseph Laughlin, the policeman who was riding Benson, grabbed Xanthos by his shirt and arrested him. The officer said Xanthos appeared intoxicated.

The horse was not injured, according to police. Both suspects are scheduled to face their charges Oct. 30 in District Court in Ocean City.

Working with Worcester County Sheriff's deputies and Maryland State Police, resort officials worked hard to kept the peace. Despite 43 recorded vehicle collisions between Friday and Saturday, there were no significant injuries or fatalities reported, to tourists or police officers.

Police were on the hunt for traffic violations, going so far as to issue a press release early on, telling people that if their cars were over-modified, they would be targeted by patrolmen.

While the event was formally headquartered at Fort Whaley campground, Ocean City was still a draw for all the drivers who wanted to cruise the strip and show off their ride. It's the event's 17th year coming to Worcester County, according to the website.

Event founder and promoter Jay Shoup, of Ocean Pines, did not respond to requests for comment Monday.

The police department held to a zero-tolerance policy on vehicle equipment and traffic violations. Cops looked for basic offenses like speeding or doing burnouts from a stoplight. Vehicle modifications were also a problem, police said, with drivers expected to make changes to suspensions, headlights, bumpers and tires to "unsafe levels."

If any vehicle modifications would not pass Maryland inspection, then the driver was at risk for a ticket, or worse, getting their car towed. O'Neal did not have an exact number on tows, but said at least several cars were towed for such violations.

bshane@dmg.gannett.com

410-213-9442, ext. 17

On Twitter @bwshane

WHAT'S TRENDING

From the hastag #H2Oi2014 on Twitter

Sept. 24

‏@corey_1992 6 states, 2 chick fil a runs, and 15 hours later...WE MADE IT! #H2Oi2014

‏@gezika Stop blaming the OC PD, idiots. Don't do illegal things to get pulled over and ticketed. It's not their fault, it's yours. #h2oi

@gezika Anyone notice the people complaining about the cops in OCMD aren't even in Ocean City??? Shadddupppp!!! #h2no #h2oi

Sept. 27

‏@GrantBortner 5% driving, 4% walking, 1% sleeping, 90% sitting in traffic #h2oi2014

Sept. 26

‏@tommymagz That moment when you meet someone for the first time and an hour later they get arrested 😂 #h2oi2014

Sept. 25

‏@kailynn_akin Can't wait for this car show, gonna be insane 😁😁 #h2oi2014

Sept. 29

@_erichh #h2oi2014 was the best. So much fun with my friends. Couldn't have asked for a better birthday celebration than going to h2oi.

‏@iCarly_x3 So sad #h2oi2014 is already over. Had such a good time and can't wait until next year. #justcruisin