No arrests yet in mob attacks on L.A. trains, shops, police car as cleanup begins

Police are working to identify a group of at least 50 people, but have yet to announce any arrests more than 48 hours after a mob vandalized Metro trains, several businesses and at least one police vehicle in downtown Los Angeles over the weekend.

The chaotic scene unfolded after police units were dispatched to the 1700 block of Trinity Avenue near Washington Boulevard for reports of a group that was trespassing in the area late Saturday night.

“The group vandalized a Metro train on Washington Boulevard. They also vandalized some businesses in the area,” a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson told KTLA shortly after the incident.

Video later revealed the violent crowd spray painting and banging on the windows of an A-Line train, which had stopped along its route. Metro later issued a statement announcing that two trains were attacked by the mob, which even boarded one of them.

“Around midnight, approximately 50 trespassers blocked two A Line trains traveling northbound and southbound at the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Maple Street, south of downtown Los Angeles,” Metro said in the statement shared with KTLA. “The trespassers began to spray paint on both trains and gained entry into the southbound train and sprayed paint on the interior of the train. During the incident, no operators or passengers were harmed and service was delayed around 20 minutes.”

Angel Estrada, who works in the area, told KTLA’s Carlos Herrera Tuesday morning that he saw the crowd vandalizing a bus and several businesses.

“We were closing, and we had people knocking on the door trying to use the restroom. When we went to go tell them no, we started noticing them tagging up the street,” said Estrada.

Several individuals were seen vandalizing an LAPD squad car. Video showed that one officer was nearly struck by something, possibly a drink, that was thrown from the crowd.

Police in riot gear arrived once the incident was declared an unlawful assembly and had the area cleared out by 1 a.m., but the aftermath had Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass reaching out to Police Chief Jim McDonnell for answers.

“It has to be stopped. We have to be very aggressive about it because we will never send the signal that maybe this is acceptable behavior. It is unacceptable under any and all circumstances,” Bass said.

City crews were seen trying to remove the graffiti from local businesses Tuesday morning, but still had lots of work to do.

The motive for the attacks remains unknown.

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