Dozens of people were arrested overnight in Minneapolis for setting off fireworks at people and property — but unlike past Fourth of July holidays, no one was seriously injured, police say.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara discussed his department’s response to fireworks misuse during a news conference Friday afternoon. He says the vast majority of people arrested were not from Minneapolis and attributed the dangerous gatherings to social media posts advertising “pop-up events.”

“They encourage people to come to Minneapolis and commit these egregious, dangerous, and just frankly stupid acts,” O’Hara said. “I don’t think I have to tell you, but throwing fireworks at people, throwing fireworks at cars with people in them is extremely dangerous.”

Overall, O’Hara said law enforcement made 30 arrests and issued five citations, primarily on probable cause riot charges. Some people who shot fireworks at police or other people are facing assault charges.

Most of the criminal activity was in the Dinkytown area, and out of the 27 adults and eight juveniles who were arrested or cited, 28 were from outside of Minneapolis, including five people from out of state. Everyone in custody is between 15 and 23 years old.

While no one was seriously harmed, O’Hara says targeting other people with fireworks has the potential for disaster, noting incidents over the past two years that left people with permanent injuries and scars.

“We understand it’s the Fourth of July, some people are going to set off fireworks,” O’Hara said. “We’re most concerned about this really, really dangerous and just stupid behavior of shooting them at random people.”

O’Hara said he was with a group of officers when a mortar was thrown at them. He emphasized that other pedestrians were in the area and cars were driving past with their windows open.

“When it exploded, it shook my body,” O’Hara said. “It was literally louder than when a shotgun goes off close to you. That’s the power of these things.”

The police chief said law enforcement preparation helped officers respond in force. O’Hara says an additional 200 MPD officers were on patrol and that partners from Minnesota State Patrol and the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office stepped in to help. He also credited the response by Minneapolis Park Police and University of Minnesota Police.

The total number of arrests and citations is likely to rise because of other agencies’ involvement, O’Hara said.