LAPD used new tactics in Lakers celebration melee

As the mood of the crowd outside Staples Center turned quickly from jubilation over the Laker victory to something more destructive, Los Angeles police knew they had to finely calibrate their response to avoid the public-relations debacles of the department’s recent past.

Officers had to control an anarchic group of “knuckleheads,” in the words of Chief William J. Bratton, yet avoid trampling the rights of hundreds of people out to celebrate the Lakers’ first championship win in seven years.

They could not have a repeat of the immigration rights protest in MacArthur Park in 2007, when police battered dozens of peaceful protesters and journalists with batons and bean-bag rounds, eventually costing the city more than $10 million in legal settlements and prompting an overhaul of LAPD crowd control procedures.

The new strategy: Remove the rabble-rousers, push larger crowds into marginal areas and chase smaller groups until they disperse. In Monday-morning analysis of their Sunday-night response, police command declared the approach a success, limiting injuries and property damage, and showing the public that the department could restrain the use of force.

“We cannot afford to be involved in responding in a knee-jerk way,” said Assistant Chief Earl Paysinger. “Too much is at stake. You’re talking lives, property and elusive public confidence.”

The trouble started at 8:30 p.m., when people outside Staples Center began lighting Orlando Magic jerseys on fire.

Soon trash cans and trees went up in flames. Officers ordered the crowd to disperse. But several bands of young men split off. They stomped car windshields, tossed traffic barricades, ripped out parking signs, tagged walls and threw rocks through windows.

Two men ran across a line of police cars and kicked in a windshield.

 At Pico Boulevard and Flower Street, a group stormed a vintage shoe stored called the Holy Grail and stole nearly 800 pairs of consignment sneakers. At Grand Avenue and Olympic Boulevard, about 20 men wearing Lakers apparel swarmed into the convenience store at a Shell gas station shouting, “Free soda, free soda.” They smashed bottles on the floor, trampled bananas, grabbed what they wanted -- water, chips, candy and six-packs of soda -- and left.

“Everything happened so quick,” said German Bonilla, 27, who was working the graveyard shift at the store. “I was just standing behind the counter. I wasn’t going to do anything because there was so many of them.” By midnight, the melee was over. Eight police officers suffered minor injuries; 21 people had been arrested; 12 government vehicles, including six MTA buses, had been damaged; and one traffic light was knocked down, authorities said.

In addition to the shoe store and Shell station, looters hit a pharmacy. And they threw debris on Metro Blue Line tracks, delaying the trains for hours. Most of the vandalism occurred in the areas several blocks south and west of the downtown venue complex as police deployed heavily around the newly built LA Live entertainment complex.

Paysinger said things could have been a lot worse. When the Lakers won the championship in 2000, mobs burned two LAPD patrol cars, damaged at least 74 other vehicles at nearby auto dealerships, tore branches from trees, hurled road construction barricades through store windows and set fire to trash cans. Police made 11 arrests outside Staples Center that year but were criticized for mostly watching the flurry of vandalism around the arena.

Several months later, police ratcheted up their response, repeatedly clashing with protesters at the Democratic Convention.

-- Andrew Blankstein, Richard Winton, Corina Knoll and Joe Mozingo

Photo: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times

More photos

Comments

[Downtown Resident]

Watching the "celebration" from a high vantage point as well as on TV I was very impressed at how LAPD and other agencies responded to the various threats posed by the crowd. By using motorcycle officers to escort vehicles out of the area, putting out the fires soon after they they were lit and using ariel support to monitor and, when needed, disperse the smaller groups who had wandered into the surrounding neighborhood the LAPD (and others) did an excellent job of keeping their cool despite the crowd throwing glass bottles and medium to large fireworks at the officers.

Well done!!

[LetsGoMets]

Comparing the post-Lakers riots that occurred in 2000, 2001, 2002, and now 2009, with the events of May Day 2007, is the ultimate case of apples and oranges and the LAPD SHOULD have the sense to know better. Maybe it's more of that media spin that they're not very good at. Apparently Asst. Chief Paysinger is unfamiliar with the concept of "context."

No one wanted knee-jerk reactions by the police. But the public has a right and obligation to expect that the police department will crack down on lawbreakers, period.

Plenty of people have already posted Youtube videos of the human garbage. There are numerous pictures (aka: evidence) that the LA Times published of various acts of violence.
The trash can thrown at the police car. Was that guy arrested? The people who set fires. Were they arrested? The people who looted the shoe store and gas station. Were they arrested? Were the people who attacked and damaged cars and property arrested? Were vandals arrested?

Somehow I'm pretty certain that there were far more than 21 people guilty of some or all of the above.

I don't want to place blame on the LAPD because they weren't the ones rioting, and the men and women on the ground are just following orders. But the people giving the orders thinking that anything but a "Zero tolerance" for rioting policy is a good one, may be the biggest knuckleheads of them all.

http://letsgomets.vox.com/library/post/nothing-good-ever-comes-of-lakers-or-dodgers-victories-in-los-angeles.html

[In the trenches]

LAPD should have cracked some skulls.These idiots were out of control.

[Steve]

Apparently it's more cost-effective for the LAPD to allow these hooligans to destroy private property than to face any potential lawsuits for police battery. I'm not sure this is the best message to be sending.

[Charly]

Only 8 police suffered injuries? We will have to do better job next time against cops. Guess not enough preperation happened this time, same mistake will not be made for the next time.

[the brat]

Why you people put up with people like this is beyond me. I saw footage of people jumping on a car that had people in it probably just on their way home or to the store and they looked terrified! Frankly I would have just have hit the gas and mowed them down and they'd be dead all because THEY COULDN'T BEHAVE THEMSELVES OVER A S T U P I D GAME!!! I think L.A. just looks at riots like another sport in my opinion.

[Shambles]

LOL, bottles & rocks today, maybe bullets tomorrow. If you have no deterrent, do you think it is going to get better or worse?

Haven't you people learned that deregulation does not work, wake up people.......

[Steven]

I agree with the poster who said that they believed more than 21 people were breaking the law. Are you kidding me? Multiply that by 10 and maybe you'll be close. The cops should have forcibly taken these people down. Nobody wants a department that is out of control but as the other story in the Times pointed out, the shoe store that was looted probably suffered $140,000 in damage. Breaking windshields, etc. is surely worth a traumatic brain injury or two...or fifty...from a baton. And surprise, they were all hispanic. Sotomayor would be proud.

[chf paysinger]

give me a break. 7 years and 1 million dollars later, this is the response paysinger has...a success? please, what kind of law enforcement was that? sure saw many skermishes standing there while they watch thugs rioted. let's have some huevos and take decisive action. It looks like they were very hesitant. Rioters knew the police was holding back that's why they did what they did. fire that paysinger. no fault of the officers following orders.

[nathan]

I am sick of this thuggish behavior from sports fans. How about fine the team for whatever these thugs to. The gang like behavior of sports heroes contributes to the junk their fans do.

Thank God LA doesn't have a football team. Imagine the damage!

[liberalsrulecalifornia]

liberals want it both ways.

they choose to live by idealistic quotes like "those who are willing to trade their freedom for protection deserve neither"

and this is the result.

i don't see this happening in texas

[Brad]

Too bad the LAPD has to bend over backwards to satisfy the fickle media and the ACLU hug-a-thug faction. I don't blame the LAPD for this; I blame the easily misled public. Our society is in a sorry state when it worries more about the "rights" of social misfits and petty criminals than the rights of taxpaying citizens who have to foot the bill for this sort of "celebration." No wonder California is hovering at the edge of bankruptcy. Common sense left the state long ago.

[trae]

To downtown resident, good for you~then let them come to your house next time and see how you like the response that our officers are forced into from failed politicians, legal representation (city) and on and on. It is opinions and actions from groups such as yours that make this the spectacle that it was.

[Kevin]

I would have no problem with the LAPD beating rioters. There are a lot of photos and videos out there. Prosecutors and police should come down on them hard. They have to send the message that rioting will not be tolerated. Right now, the message is that rioting is accepted in Los Angeles.

[Dave]

All the thugs come out for an event like this, thinking it gives them an excuse to trash the town. It is time the cops arrest and put these thugs behind bars for a few years. No city has to tolerate the destruction.

[sucha singh]

OMG!...Are you kidding me?..NEW LAPD Tactics?..I had boots on the ground and I can tell you it discust me that as an officer we allow these criminals to break the law, then say "its a new tactic" If I lived in the city I would be outraged. As soon as the first fire was set, we should have locked it down and arrested everyone that was there, instead we let these idiots/criminals have their way and vandalize approx 20 buildings, steal, and vanadalize and have the nerve to call it a new tactic. When I got home this morning after 10 hours of overtime I felt like throwing up. This truly is just a job to me now...I feel sorry for the good people that live in Los Angeles.

[mj parker]

As we say in school, "GET A LIFE, GET AN EDUCATION" and you won't be looking for reasons to act so stupidly in public, especially following others down the same sad road...(Parents: again, as always, DEAL WITH YOUR CHILDREN, you wanted them, remember?)

[michael]

Why not have a live band band play some high energy rock and roll. I think that the idiots who were destroying things might have found some catharsis in the music. Seems worth a try.

[Marcos El Malo]

I think most of the out-of-towners complaining about the "riot"* are jealous that the Lakers are again the champions. Throw in your garden variety angry "conservatives"** to blame it on the liberals, and your garden variety racists*** to blame it on the Mexicans, and you have a big tempest over a little teapot.

*not a real riot
**not real conservatives, just what passes for them nowdays
***real racists

[Marcos El Malo]

I almost forgot to mention the police haters, not that they're worth mentioning.

[Tab Cocovillea]

We need more people informed about their rights to perform "citizen arrests". Next time, surround and drown these pieces of human trash and hold them for the LAPD!

[NEW Tactics my ass]

Paysinger was there as well as Bratton. However, when these criminals were throwing rocks,bottles and fire crakers. at the officers on the line the Chief and Paysinger were on the phone talking to somebody to make a decision on how to let the officers make arrests and control the situation. I believe they were calling Obama. NEW TACTICS..
It's ok for cops to get hurt because they are expandable.
21 arrests probably for drunk in public.
Lets face it this was poor planning from way above the street cops. They got caught with their pants down. way to go Paysinger. NEW TACTICS.

[LAPD Brass #1]

Paysinger was in the middle of the intersection talking on the phone as well as other Commanders and Captains trying to find out what to do next. A squad of officers were fed to the angry crowd at the intersection of Chick Hearn and Figueroa without additional resources. These officers were well trained and well equipped for crowd management, but was not given enough time to get mobilized. And then, a Captain dropped off the squads police vehicles to the heart of the mob to get vandalized and personal belongings stolen! Poor poor planning from the upper management. BELIEVE ME THERE WERE NO NEW TACTICS DONE. THE UPPER MANAGEMENT FROZE AS USUAL AND LEFT THE OFFICERS TO BE PELTED WITH ROCKS, BOTTLES AND M80 FIRE CRACKERS! Captains and above should be required to go to the Crowd Control Management the officers were required to attend to make informed decisions. The officers and sergeants did, and we saved the police cars from being burned! What an embarrassment...... GO CRIMINALS!!!!

[downtown worker]

To: sucha singh, who said,"As soon as the first fire was set, we should have locked it down and arrested everyone that was there..."
You're going to arrest thousands of people simultaneously while they're all running around? Please. Wherever you're a cop, you've probably got an easier job than the LAPD.

To: chf paysinger, who said,"Rioters knew the police was holding back that's why they did what they did. fire that paysinger. no fault of the officers following orders."
I completely agree! Firing rubber bullets on peaceful demonstrations (May Day) is entirely different than stopping criminals from looting. I highly doubt anyone would've cried foul if they had seen a picture of a thug who'd just vandalized with a policeman kneeling on his head.