Saturday Night Fever, 21st Century

Chaos unfolds in downtown L.A. as large mob vandalizes police car, train, businesses

Officers had to form a skirmish line to clear a large mob that vandalized a Metro train, a police car and several businesses in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday night.

A Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson confirmed to KTLA that units were dispatched to the 1700 block of Trinity Avenue near Washington Boulevard for reports of a group that was trespassing in the area around 10 p.m.

“The group vandalized a Metro train on Washington Boulevard. They also vandalized some businesses in the area,” the spokesperson said.

“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 a statement given to 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.”

Several individuals were also seen vandalizing an LAPD squad car – even posing for pictures in front of it, shooting fireworks at it, kicking it and spray painting it as the officers started to drive away. Many of those who were not actively engaging in the vandalism were recording the chaos on their cell phones.

Multiple area businesses also had graffiti scrawled on them, including a Panda Express, a WaBa Grill, a dialysis clinic and a medical building, among others.

Footage from news stringer service OnSceneTV even shows a firebreather entertaining people on the sidewalk. At least one person was seen scaling a pole to get a better view of the chaos from above.

Officers, who were positioned in the area in riot gear, eventually declared an unlawful assembly and formed a skirmish line. By 1 a.m. Sunday, the group had cleared out of the area, the LAPD spokesperson said.

Metro added that the LAPD is continuing to investigate the incident, and that anyone with additional information is urged to contact LAPD Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477).

Five years ago, the Black Lives Matter demonstrations coincided with mass looting all over Los Angeles, obliging most retail businesses to board up their store fronts.

The common denominator is the anarchic attitude of people. When government itself is corrupt as claimed by both parties accusing each other of it, how can you expect restraint and respect for the law from anybody?

The real question for people who would prefer sanity as a way of life is how to connect with the bubbling mass nihilism and persuade people to channel their rage against the ruling powers -- not just against the grunts who work in retail or drive buses or wear a local PD badge.