A magnet for taggers and parachutists, a moribund L.A. high-rise is now racking up arrests
Los Angeles police arrested two people Wednesday morning outside an unfinished 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 responded to the scene and 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 toward the side of the building, which has been mostly covered with the oversize, colorful lettering of taggers who sneaked into the moribund structure to add their own work.
Taggers marked 27 floors of the Oceanwide Plaza in downtown Los Angeles.
The quick police response represents a stark change from the situation a few weeks ago, when the building underwent its graffiti makeover. Taggers interviewed by The Times in early February said that they found no security as they jumped the fence to the building, which stands 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 building.
“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 week, city officials began installing more fences around the building in an effort to curb trespassers, City News Service reported.
Multiple people have been cited or arrested this month. On Feb. 6, the LAPD announced the arrests of four people after police conducted a search of the development.
The previous week, police arrested two L.A. 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.
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