An L.A. high-rise is racking up arrests
2 more are apprehended at moribund structure made famous by taggers and parachutists
Los Angeles police arrested two people last week outside a downtown skyscraper that has become a magnet for taggers, with more than 25 floors covered in graffiti, authorities said.
The two men were taken into custody after a group of about five people were seen running toward the Oceanwide Plaza site in the 1100 block of Figueroa Street around 2 a.m.
The group jumped the fence and entered the unfinished skyscraper, Officer Rosario Cervantes of the Los Angeles Police Department said.
The men were not immediately identified, but LAPD officials said they were 20 and 24 years old.
The two were booked on trespassing charges, Rosario said.
Officers set up a perimeter, using a loudspeaker to urge the people inside the building to come out.
Video from OnScene showed police surrounding Oceanwide Plaza, a $1-billion mixed-use project that has been stalled since 2019. From the ground, police directed a spotlight up the side of the building, which has been covered with the oversized, colorful lettering of taggers who sneaked into the moribund structure to add their own work.
The quick police response represents a stark change from a few weeks ago, when the building underwent its graffiti makeover. Taggers interviewed by The Times in early February said they found no security as they jumped the fence to the building, which is across the street from Crypto.com Arena at L.A. Live.
Since then, BASE jumpers have also used the building as a launchpad. A video posted online showed exploits that were confirmed by Mayor Karen Bass, who told a local TV news outlet that people were seen parachuting off the structure.
“I guarantee you tragedy will take place there if that place is not boarded up quickly,” Bass said at the time.
LAPD officials say they’ve met with the property’s management company to discuss how to better secure the building from trespassers. Last month, city officials began installing more fences around the skyscraper in an effort to curb trespassers, City News Service reported.
Multiple people have been cited or arrested. On Feb. 6, the LAPD announced the arrests of four people after police searched the development.
The previous week, police arrested two Los Angeles men for trespassing after receiving a call reporting vandalism at the site.
A third person, a driver believed to have been involved, was also cited.