Stay away from Staples? No way
Fans descend on Staples Center downtown to celebrate, ignoring off icials’ calls to stay away.
The Lakers’ f irst world championship in a decade was met Sunday with f ireworks across Southern California and a jubilant crowd converging near Staples Center, despite the urging of city leaders to stay away.
A few hundred Lakers faithful were just outside the Staples Center complex, cheering as the team defeated the Miami Heat, 106- 93, in Game 6 of the NBA Finals in Orlando, Fla.
Some chanted “Kobe, Kobe” in tribute to the former Lakers great who was killed in a helicopter crash this year.
A big crowd took over the intersection of Figueroa Street and Chick Hearn Court, dancing and jumping and setting off smoke bombs in purple and gold.
“I’m in shock,” said Fontana resident Jose Valdez, 24, who came to downtown L. A. in a white Kobe Bryant jersey to watch the game. A red mask covered his nose and mouth but couldn’t hide his elation.
“I’m so happy,” he said. Police were blocking entrances into Staples Center and L. A. Live, including some holding weapons used to f ire so- called less- lethal projectiles. Several people could be seen on local TV broadcasts trying to kick in the windshield of an LAPD cruiser.
Three blocks from Staples Center, a man waving a Lakers f lag blocked traffic so a car could do doughnuts in the intersection, eliciting hoots from the crowd.
As the evening wore on, there were reports of young men throwing champagne bottles at officers and police responding with beanbag rounds, sending hundreds of people at the celebration running, witnesses said.
The California Highway Patrol closed freeway exits into downtown, and the LAPD declared an unlawful assembly. In East Los Angeles, the L. A. County Sheriff ’s Department shut down Whittier Boulevard.
Meanwhile, f ireworks could be seen and heard in neighborhoods across the city amid cheers.
Daniel Mendoza, 43, livestreamed the revelers outside Staples from his phone. The fast- food worker from Fresno rented a room at the JW Marriott for the night to celebrate the victory in the Lakers’ hometown.
“This one is for Kobe,” said Mendoza, who called himself a lifelong Lakers fan. “This one probably means the most of all of them.”
On Friday, Los Angeles Police Department officials had said they were hoping fans would stay home but were prepared for crowd control if needed. Social distancing requirements imposed by the county and city forbid large social gatherings.
But Cris Roldan, watching a line of vehicles heading toward Staples Center as he gassed up his car about a block away, said he thought many people had driven downtown because they wanted to join the celebration from their vehicles without risking exposure to the coronavirus by being near people.
“I don’t want to be near too many crowds,” said Roldan, who wore a mask and a gold Lakers jersey.