Scores of young people took part in a vandalism spree in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday night, leaving damage and questions in their wake.
The melee was captured on video, and police are now trying to identify suspects. The incident marked another troubling incident as downtown tries to recover from the pandemic.
“I hope that they face some type of fines or at least jail time. I don’t know,” said Teddy Lee, owner of DTLA Window Tint, whose store cameras captured men wearing baseball caps and T-shirts casually approaching his business with spray cans and vandalizing it.
Here is what we know based on Times reporting.
A large crowd took over several streets in downtown Los Angeles
(OnScene.TV)
What brought the crowd to downtown L.A.?
Police say hundreds of people showed up for an illegal rooftop concert spanning two parking lots in downtown Los Angeles, with a group of them later spilling out into the surrounding neighborhood.
According to police, there were reports of a large disturbance and the owner of the vacant warehouse confirmed that the group were trespassing on Saturday night. A punk band played on top of one of the warehouse-style buildings that were being used without the owner’s knowledge.
“The events had been widely advertised on social media,” said Los Angeles Police Department Cmdr. Lillian Carranza.
A large crowd took over several streets in downtown Los Angeles, leaving behind a trail of destruction
(OnScene.TV)
What exactly happened?
Police say hundreds of people showed up for an illegal party in downtown Los Angeles, with a group of them later spilling out into the surrounding neighborhood
The crowd was first noticed at the corner of Washington Boulevard and Maple Avenue.
Some were dressed to party, wearing pink platform heels and cat ears, according to video shot by news outlet OnScene.TV. A man gulped from a jug filled with a flammable liquid that he spat onto a torch, throwing flames into the night sky.
The crowd’s attention turned to an A Line train, which had stopped along its route on Washington Boulevard. According to the video, vandals within the crowd began spray-painting the train and hammering on the windows.
The Los Angeles Police Department was alerted at 12:12 a.m. Sunday by a caller who said five people had entered a train car and were vandalizing the interior, said Officer Kevin Terzes, an LAPD spokesperson.
Video showed dozens of LAPD officers massed in a skirmish line across the street from the mob, gripping black and green riot guns that fire foam rounds.
Some in the crowd posed for selfies next to a spray-painted LAPD cruiser. They were hostile with the officers, hurled fireworks and kicked at the police car as the officers drove away, according to the video.
Train service was delayed about 20 minutes after about 50 people blocked southbound and northbound trains at Washington Boulevard and Maple Avenue at midnight, said Jose Ubaldo, a Metro spokesperson.
Four officers were injured, including one who was hit in the face with a bottle.
Why were there no arrests that night?
“Our officers were heavily outnumbered and so the decision was, clear the area rather than make arrests,” said Carranza.
About 100 people from a party broke off and went on a vandalism spree, Carranza said. A group of about 50 people blocked two A Line trains, vandalizing them.
Officers eventually declared an unlawful assembly, set up a skirmish line and pushed the youths out of the area.
What is being done now?
Mayor Karen Bass called for those responsible to be found and held accountable.
Several plainclothes officers were in the area Tuesday canvassing local businesses for witnesses and security camera video. Others are combing social media feeds for evidence.
A Metro train car was taken out of service to remove graffiti, according to a Metro spokesperson.
Carranza said the operators of the underground parties were being tracked down along with those who helped publicize the events at the heart of the problem.
“I can assure you we will find those responsible,” said Carranza.
Matthew Ormseth contributed to this report.
