Lakers fans riot; LAPD arrests nearly 40
Friday, June 18, 2010
LOS ANGELES -- It was a great performance by the Los Angeles Lakers at Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night, but a not-so-great performance by fans. The LAPD said nearly 40 people were arrested, and their bad behavior took some attention away from the Lakers victory.
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Lakers fans riot on streets of L.A.
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<!-- end relatedMod for "photos"--> According to the LAPD, 36 adults and two juveniles were arrested. One arrest was for vandalism, and two arrests were for arson. All other arrests were unspecified.
Police declared an unlawful assembly and started clearing the streets shortly after the game, but in spite of the massive police presence, there were several ugly incidents.
Rocks and bottles were thrown at the hundreds of police officers stationed in the area, and one of those officers suffered a broken nose when he was struck by a flying object.
A man used a sign to smash the window of businesses. Several businesses sustained broken windows and other damage.
There were several fires set by unruly fans. In one instance, a car was set on fire in the middle of the street. Fire crews dealt with more than 35 fires and other incidents within a half-mile radius of Staples Center.
The incidents included 15 rubbish fires, 1 vegetation fire, three vehicle fires and 18 medical aid requests for injured individuals. Eight people were taken by
LAFD ambulances to local hospitals.
Several people were arrested for public drunkenness.
Officials said the hottest trouble spots were Grand Avenue and Olympic Boulevard. They also said Flower Street and Sixth Street were breeding grounds for chaotic activity.
LAPD Chief
Charlie Beck spoke about post-game troubles at a news conference at 11 p.m.
"I give the game a 10; I give the celebration about a 5," Beck said. "We made multiple arrests, we used overwhelming force, we had a maximum number of police officers deployed here to clear out the crowds around Staples Center and disperse them."
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Beck said that the number of police officers near Staples Center was four or five times the number from last year and included undercover police officers.
Beck said at least one police vehicle was damaged, but not severely, by thrown objects.
The arena wasn't the only place police targeted. The L.A. County Sheriff's Department deployed hundreds of deputies to East Los Angeles near Whittier Boulevard, which was closed to vehicle traffic between Easter and Garfield avenues for the duration of Game 7 and for hours thereafter.
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