Rowdy crowds took to the streets of Los Angeles after the LA Dodgers won the Major League Baseball (MLB) World Series, setting a city bus on fire, breaking into stores and lighting fireworks. A dozen arrests were reported by police on Thursday, but officials said that most fans celebrated peacefully.
Video showed revelers throwing objects at police in downtown LA as sirens blared and officers told them to leave the area on Wednesday night after the Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the MLB World Series at Giants Stadium in New York.
Another video showed someone standing atop a bus waving a Dodgers banner and people running from a boarded-up Nike store with armfuls of sneakers before throwing the merchandise into cars parked outside. No injuries were reported.
Photo: AP
Despite some unrest, “the overwhelming majority of celebrations last night were joyful and peaceful,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said at a Thursday news conference discussing the logistics of the planned victory parade yesterday.
“We will work to keep Angelenos safe as always,” Bass said, adding that “violence of any kind will not be tolerated.”
The mayor, who wore a Dodgers jersey with her name on the back, said that the parade would be held on what would have been Fernando Valenzuela’s 64th birthday. The beloved Dodgers pitcher died last week.
Photo: AFP
Bass said she would send a Dodgers jersey to New York Mayor Eric Adams to wear at his City Hall “because he has lost the bet.”
Officials said the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) would be on high alert throughout the week to protect communities and businesses in the city, which has been the site of previous unrest after championship wins by the LA Lakers and the LA Dodgers.
There were some “unruly, and at times violent and hostile celebrations” after Wednesday’s win, with several acts of vandalism, including the burning of a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus, LAPD spokesperson Officer Drake Madison said in an e-mail.
Arrests were on charges such as failure to disperse, receiving stolen property or commercial burglary, Madison said.
There were also several instances of street takeovers downtown and police used less-lethal munitions to control several hostile and violent crowds, he said.
In the coming days, detectives would attempt to identify those responsible for crimes, he added.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said his deputies would be on full alert for various events, including the celebrations of the Dodgers’ win, Halloween festivities, and the upcoming US presidential and US House of Representative elections, and California State Senate elections.
He urged fans to not shoot illegal fireworks, take over intersections or spin out cars, all of which happened on Wednesday night.
“The individuals that were involved in that last night was a very small segment of the east Los Angeles community because most of them were out celebrating because they love their Dodgers,” Luna said.
The Dodgers planned to commemorate their championship yesterday night with a downtown parade followed by a celebration at Dodger Stadium.
The team on Wednesday said that because of logistics, traffic and timing, fans would not be able to attend both events.
The parade was expected to include members of the Dodgers traveling atop double-decker buses along a 45-minute route on city streets.
Officials urged people to work from home and to use public transportation when possible on Friday.
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