*A chaotic scene unfolded in downtown Los Angeles over Memorial Day weekend, as a crowd of up to 1,000 people unleashed a wave of vandalism and violence, prompting a stern response from Mayor Karen Bass.
As ABC 7 reports, the unrest, which erupted early Sunday morning (May 25) at an unauthorized party in an abandoned warehouse near Trinity Street and E Washington Boulevard, left businesses defaced, Metro trains graffitied, and police officers under attack. Bass has vowed to ensure those responsible face justice, calling the destruction “unacceptable under any and all circumstances.”
“It was just pandemonium. Everybody, just, you know, went berserk,” Bass said during a Monday briefing with LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell. “… and those people that perpetrated this have to be held accountable to the full extent of the law,” she added.
The mayhem began shortly after midnight when the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) responded to reports of a large, disruptive gathering. The situation quickly spiraled, with vandals tagging local businesses, a police vehicle, and both the interior and exterior of two Metro A-line trains. The transit disruption delayed service for 20 minutes, though no passengers or operators were injured.
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As officers attempted to intervene, some in the crowd turned violent, assaulting police, including one officer who required medical attention after being struck in the face with a bottle. Expressing frustration over the lack of immediate arrests, Bass emphasized a zero-tolerance stance.
“We cannot do this in our city, and it has to be stopped. We have to be very aggressive about it, because we will never send the signal that maybe this is acceptable behavior,” she declared.
Police in riot gear eventually dispersed the crowd using rubber bullets after issuing multiple warnings, but the damage was done. While the full extent of the destruction remains under assessment, the incident has sparked outrage from city leadership.
“We cannot do this in our city, and it has to be stopped. We have to be very aggressive about it, because we will never send the signal that maybe this is acceptable behavior,” Bass said. The LAPD is actively investigating, combing through surveillance footage to identify the perpetrators who will face the “full extent of the law,” Bass added.
Meanwhile, in the video below, Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable President Earl Ofari Hutchinson went to the site of the mob violence near the Metro tracks on Washington Blvd. and Maple, L.A. and called on LAPD officials to make swift arrests in mob takeovers. He says no immediate arrests made sends wrong signal about the violence. Hutchinson also called for the creation of an anti-mob violence task force.
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