2 officers hurt in Los Angeles Lakers victory clashes; downtown property damaged [Updated]

Los Angeles city officials and downtown L.A. merchants were assessing the damage Friday morning after unruly fans celebrating the Lakers victory in the NBA Finals rampaged through the streets around Staples Center.

The Los Angeles Police Department deployed a huge force of officers hoping to prevent the looting and violence that occurred after last year's Lakers championship win. But although the situation in and around Staples Center was calm, there were scattered problems elsewhere downtown.

Crowds broke windows of storefronts, jumped on cars, set at least 15 small fires and threw objects at police.

The LAPD reported 38 arrests. There were also several injuries, but the exact number was not clear.

An LAPD officer was hit in the head by an object apparently thrown at him and suffered a broken nose.

A Los Angeles sheriff's deputy was hit in the head with a rock at a light rail station platform, said Sheriff's Capt. Mike Parker.

At 7th and Flower streets, a crowd of more than 500 people surrounded a Metro bus and numerous people attempted to pull the bus driver out through the driver's side window, Parker said. Deputies deployed tear gas and sting balls, causing the crowd to disperse. They rescued the bus driver and the occupants of the bus.

A taxi driver was attacked, and his taxi was set on fire, Parker said. While rescuing him, rocks and bottles were thrown at deputies, who used sting balls and stun bags to break up the crowd, he said. They rescued the driver and, with the help of LAPD officers, took him out of the area.

Police fired non-lethal rounds to disperse a crowd at Figueroa Street and Venice Boulevard after several small fires were set. Fires were also set at 11th and Hope streets, and at 7th and Flower streets, a taxicab was engulfed in flames.

At least one person was beaten as fights broke out on Flower Street near Olympic Boulevard, officials said. A bicyclist was injured when struck by a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department vehicle near 11th and Flower streets, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

At La Bella Cucina, in the 900 block of Figueroa Street, customers began throwing bottles, knocking over tables and stealing bottles of liquor, said restaurant manager Christian LaBella.

"I think it's pretty sad, especially when customers turn on you so quickly," LaBella said late Thursday. "They lost respect for themselves, they lost respect for the Lakers, and they lost respect for the restaurant. It's a shame for L.A."

"A lot of stupid, stupid people out here tonight," added Edward Lizama, 42, who lives in an apartment near 9th and Olive streets. "This isn't people having fun. It's ridiculous."

The violence broke out shortly after the game ended. The LAPD declared an unlawful assembly as people gathered along Figueroa Street near Olympic Boulevard. Hundreds of officers in patrol cars, on foot and on horseback moved in to clear streets and break up the crowds.

At 8th and Figueroa streets, fans and a phalanx of more than two dozen police wearing riot gear and wielding batons faced off. The standoff began when a bunch of fans tore down a traffic sign and then ripped out two newspaper stands and lighted the papers on fire. When the police marched up Figueroa, about two dozen abreast, the crowd slowly receded. Some people were throwing containers of energy drinks, which had been passed out for free after the win.

The YWCA at 11th and Olive was vandalized as taggers marked graffiti up and down the side of a wall. Another person upended a traffic sign and bashed in several windows. [For the record at 9:30 a.m.: A previous version of this post stated that a YMCA was vandalized. It was a YWCA.]

An LAPD cruiser pulled up and shined a light on the men. "Let's go. Night's over," an officer said through a loudspeaker.

-- Sam Allen, Tony Barboza, Hector Becerra, Andrew Blankstein, Paloma Esquivel, Robert Faturechi, Kate Linthicum, Robert J. Lopez, Joel Rubin, Abby Sewell and Ruben Vives

Photo credits: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times; Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times

Hi-res photos: A hard-fought series

Photos: Lakers vs. Celtics, Game 7

Photos: Lakers fans at Game 7 of the NBA Finals

Comments

[What the hell]

I have an idea. Why doesn't the staple center with the Lakers Team members make announcements before and after regarding this embarassing behaviour. Why is the team silent? Why are they allowing a bunch of thungs to use their victory as an excuse to terrorize the rest of the population. This should be classified as an act of domestic terrorism and treateed as such.

[AndyT]

Who's idea was it to give out energy drinks to a bunch of hooligans???

Maybe Budweiser can actually sponsor the riot net time.

[R flores]

I FEEL SO BAD, THAT WE PUT UP WHAT STUPID PEOPLE..IT WILL NEVER STOP AS LONG AS WE LET THEM...WE GO TO THE MOON..BUT CAN'T STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING...SHAME ON US ....

[tony]

Pathetic. These people do this because they know they can get away with it. The next time, the teargas should come out at the first sign of provocation. Period.

[annie]

Krunch thanks, those of us who don't partake or condone this after game behavior appreciate your comment.

Angelenos should be proud of the wins, the Lakers certainly deserved it! it was a nerve racking game!!

and those of you who think the Lakers are just a bunch of thugs on the court, get over yourselves. you must be the new wave of basketball fans who don't know anything about the game. check out the history of basketball and the rivalries between some of these teams.

and people, it's not just the latinos messing things up. i agree, everyone needs to stop and/or be arrested but let's not make this an immigration conversation. perhaps it's an issue of people in the neighborhood of the staples center not being able to afford the tickets to the games so they mill around outside, which is bound to get emotional and out of control. are there big screen TVs outside the staples center? liquor seems to be a big problem. SADLY, some people get out of control while drinking and enjoying the game. emotions run high. JUST ARREST THEM!!!! throw them in jail for the night. i don't know why cops don't clear the area while the game is going on.

i don't know what the answer is but don't be ridiculous and judge the city or the team on the behavior of a bunch of idiots.

[LA Lady]

This is absolutely unacceptable behavior,yes, BUT this does NOT mean EVERYONE in LA and ALL Laker fans are lacking class, culture, or the ability to celebrate in a civilized manner.

I was in downtown last night and can tell you that there were many, many more civilized fans than there were crazy people (won't even call them fans!). And yeah, what's up with the Mexican flag comin' out to celebrate a Laker win? Saw that in downtown a few times too. Strange.

Way to go Lakers!!!

[Mimi]

As a 3rd generation Mexican-American, I’m disappointed at the group of knuckleheads waving Mexican flags and destroying property after the game. Even though some of these idiots are Latino, let us not generalize and remember that not all Latinos are this idiotic. By the way, all the Latinos I know were not involved in any of this and we don’t approve of this kind of behavior.

At this point, I hope the Lakers cancel the parade. It’s unfortunate for the good fans and the team but we need to teach people that this behavior will not be tolerated.

[rage777]

All the more reason there should be no immigration reform. Stop letting these clowns in. I saw knuckleheads in East LA waving Mexican flags during their "celebration". Geez, what a good example and representation of your people. Celebrate the LA LAKERS by waving Mexican flags, nice. I don't see anyone else waving flags of their native country. Oh, that's because if they're that proud, they didn't leave their country!

Posted by: NoReform | June 18, 2010 at 08:23 AM

Maybe they were waving the Mexican flag because Mexico beat France in a World Cup match earlier in the day, not because of the Lakers.

[Peter Reyes]

I agree that these people acted liked utter morons. However, you can not condemn a whole city based on the actions of a small percentage of the population. To do that is ignorant.

[jamjar2]

Why does this behavior surprise anyone? There would have been ariot even if the Lakers lost! There is a subset of our population that would riot regardless of the outcome. They are sick, disgusting pond scum. I think the parade should be cancelled!

[C Bob]

Seriously! I have lived and spent a lot of time in LA and SoCal, and I don't know if it's the heat, but for all the superiority complex you find there, people are off their rockers. Chicago was able to party for the Cup, most big cities can do it when their teams win, all degenerate free. It's is lame to see, and continues to make the case for a sad state in LA. I am against police misconduct and abuse, but in these cases, who can blame them.

[She. Ca. Go]

This is not all of LA or even a large minority but a small group of individuals who used the Lakers' victory as a catalyst for bad behavior.

I saw round 'em up and have them clean up the Staples Center by hand. Lord knows, confetti manages to get EVERYWHERE.

It's a shame when a small minority manages to ruin the fun for a well intentioned celebratory majority who are happy to see the Lakers rally together and play as a team.

[Matthew S.]

they should cancel any parade plans. Seriously, stop embarrassing us.

[tcarruth]

what an embarassment. how many of these thug idiots actually had tickets to the game? I would wager none. The police should go tianamen square on these guys.

[LBrew]

True fans represent their city and respect it. Everyone out in LA last night, setting fires, breaking windows etc are punks who use a Laker finals win to act a fool. I am a die hard Laker fan born and raised in LA, people like that is the reason I stay home and celebrate. Get a grip people why tear up your own city!

[DearMrBlackhawkFan]

What happened was beyond idiotic, but the hatred over LA is ridiculous. If this stuff only happened in LA, it would be one thing. There have been far worse riots in other cities after sporting events. Two people were killed and 700 arrested in Chicago after the Bulls won in 1993. The year before, 1,000 people were arrested there. Look up Boston, Denver, Detroit, Montreal and other places. Are all those places cesspools? At least try to be a little fair.

[-db-]

Ya know, like many others , soo glad to not live there
anymore. And when the decent businesses and higher-end
tax-payers leave, who's going to be left to pay those high
dollar civil-service pensions ? Some under-assessed
rentals and low-dollar service industry jobs - working at
out-of-state owned businesses. If I were a retired
police/fire/other, I'd be worried. Way to go, 'fans'.

[duxbellorum]

Shameful. Embarrassing.

The Lakers should be forced to pay for all damages and police overtime. Kobe could pay it alone, and not even feel a difference in the weight of his wallet.

Instead of a victory parade, I'd like to see Jackson, Artest, et al sweeping up garbage, painting over graffiti.

And should the Lakers be in such a position to win in the future, I'd like to see them make a public announcement that they will FORFEIT the championship should there be rioting. Some people have to be FORCED to act like humans.

If people truly care about the team, they'll celebrate, not destroy. And if the team is truly invested in the community, they'll take a stand with the good guys.

[Longtimeresident]

I wish the media would stop refering to these barbarians as "fans." They are anarchists and opportunists, but certainly not Lakers fans if they would bespoil the city they are fans of in such a way. It is incorrect to refer to them as fans.

[Roger Dane]

Human nature, unrestrained either by the vestiges of society or 'personal' morality. It will get worse. Good citizens need to be prepared for what kind of 'violence' would occur if L.A. gets hit by the 'big one'... or some terrorist incident here on the West Coast. These kinds of mindless thugs would appear by the tens of thousands, not just the few thousand. Police response would be overwhelmed by the shear number of aggressors. Most of these people already "broke the law" getting into America... what do they care about 'breaking it' again? Not one whit!
No 'reform', just return and lock down the borders!!!

[JD]

What would these people have done if the Lakers lost? This is pathetic.

[Dylan]

Repugnant. What an unworthy fan base. Let a beleaguered city like Milwaukee or Cleveland win for once, and I promise you there won't be any of this disgusting behavior.

Of course there are a lot of decent Laker fans out there, but there's also a disproportionate number of thugs. I hope the cops were able to book these clowns.

[raydeohed]

Leave it to classless Lakers fans to destroy their city after a victory. GO JAZZ!!

[top rock]

It's a shame that all the stupid thugs that feel they have a right to trash LA after a win can't read these posts. They are all stupid cowards and the city tax payers should not have to pay for extra police after wins. I hope Phil uses some of his $2 million bonus to pay for that waste of tax payers money they call a parade. I'm sure the thugs will be out causing trouble for that too.
It's time to stop the slaps on the wrist. Instead of releasing the arrested how about confining them to hard labor for 30 plus days with only bread and water. They should also pay for damages x 2.

[Justice is slow to come.]

The guy in the picture with shopping basket and hand on fire should be arrested immediately, and if he is illegal send him back after his time in prison for arson. We've had this problem in Los Angeles for a long time, an our dishonorable public servants like the mayor are also part of this problem. It is time or it has been time for us to clean our streets of these useless-undersirable types that inhabit this city. Unfortunately, LAPD did not arrest enough of the law breakers.
The good thing surveilance video and television film footage can lead to capture, arrest and conviction of many of these criminals in our streets especially from last night's events.
Let's turn our city around and increase our expectations of what this city should be, now and in the future.