A crowd gathered at midnight at Washington Boulevard and Maple Avenue in Los Angeles, with some attendees dressed in party attire. Amid the chaos, a man with a flammable liquid ignited flames, while others vandalized an A Line train, spray-painting it and hammering its windows. The LAPD responded, but no arrests were made. The vandalism extended to nearby businesses, including a Panda Express and a dialysis center. Train service was delayed for about 20 minutes as approximately 50 people obstructed the tracks. No injuries were reported, and the LAPD seeks information on the incidents.
A crowd amassed at midnight at the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Maple Avenue.
While the reasons behind the gathering of numerous individuals just south of downtown Los Angeles remain unclear, some were seen sporting festive attire, including pink platform heels and cat ears, as captured in a video by OnScene.TV. One man took a swig from a jug filled with a flammable substance before spitting it onto a torch, sending flames shooting into the night.
As a helicopter hovered above, another man in a leather jacket climbed a light pole, balancing on a street sign. He pulled out his phone and appeared to film himself while speaking to the camera.
Individuals gathered near a police cruiser that had been vandalized early Sunday morning.
(OnScene.TV)
The crowd’s focus shifted to an A Line train that had halted its journey along Washington Boulevard. Footage showed members of the crowd starting to spray-paint the train and strike its windows.
The Los Angeles Police Department was notified at 12:12 a.m. Sunday by a caller reporting that five male suspects had boarded a train car and were vandalizing the interior, stated Officer Kevin Terzes, an LAPD spokesperson.
Video captured dozens of LAPD officers forming a line across the street from the crowd, holding black and green riot guns designed to fire foam rounds.
At 12:19 a.m., the LAPD received another report of disruptive behavior on a train at Washington Boulevard and Trinity Street, according to Terzes.
The officer mentioned that no arrests were made in connection with either report. It remains uncertain whether anyone from the crowd depicted in the video vandalizing the facades of a Panda Express, Waba Grill, dialysis center, and medical clinic was arrested separately by the LAPD.
Some participants in the crowd took selfies next to a spray-painted LAPD cruiser, verbally assaulting the officers and launching a firework at the police car as the officers left the scene, as shown in the video.
Train service was delayed by approximately 20 minutes after around 50 individuals obstructed both southbound and northbound trains at the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Maple Avenue at midnight, according to Metro spokesperson Jose Ubaldo.
Vandals defaced both the exteriors and interiors of the trains, but fortunately, no passengers or Metro employees sustained injuries, Ubaldo stated.
He urged anyone with information regarding the incident to contact the LAPD at (800) 222-8477.