City leaders are scrambling to figure out a way to clean up the graffiti that’s vandalized an abandoned high-rise building in Downtown Los Angeles. Robert Kovacik reports for the NBC4 News on Feb. 1, 2024.
Two arrests have been made in connection with a vandalized high-rise building in downtown Los Angeles, police announced Thursday.
On Tuesday, LAPD Central Area officers responded to a vandalism call on South Figueroa Street, where a Tactical Flight Officer observed over a dozen people trespassing and potentially spray-painting in a building.
Two suspects, Victor Daniel Ramirez and Roberto Perez, were arrested and issued Release From Custody Citations for trespassing.
On Thursday, officers responded to another vandalism call near West 11th Street and South Flower Street, where vandals were reported spray-painting on the 30th floor of a building under construction.
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Despite attempting to flee in a vehicle and failing to yield to officers, the vandals were promptly located.
A routine traffic stop was carried out where the driver was cited for failure to yield to an officer and the passenger was questioned and released.
Central Division detectives are continuing their investigation into the vandalism that has occurred over the last few days at the unfinished high-rise building in downtown LA.
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Once billed as a downtown renaissance jewel, the plaza has been unfinished since 2019. It was supposed to serve as a five-star hotel with condominiums available for purchase.
"Between (Tuesday) and (Wednesday), there's probably another like, 20 floors have been blasted. They are going at a pretty fast rate," said Daron Burgundy, who lives near the plaza.
On social media, the Los Angeles Police Department said it's been made aware of the vandalism.
"Today, Central Division personnel met with the property management and CD 14 representatives to collaborate on better securing the property and adding additional security measures," the department said in its post. "The measures will be implemented immediately and the graffiti will be removed."
In a statement to NBC Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass' office said it is working to resolve this issue.
"The Mayor's Office is aware and working to address this issue but the City can't immediately clean the graffiti because of legal constraints relating to private property," the statement read. "The Mayor's Office is working closely with the city attorney and several city Departments to put forward a solution that resolves this."
