Like a series of dangerous speed maneuvers continue on the new 6th Street Viaduct Bridge in downtown Los Angeles, speed bumps are being installed, and Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore is urging the public to remain vigilant to help an already overwhelmed police force.
On Tuesday evening, LAPD closed the bridge again in an effort to prevent crime. The shutdown will last “until further notice” due to illegal activities, LAPD tweeted.
“We’re not going to arrest our way out of this,” Moore said at a police commission meeting on Tuesday. “Despite the hundreds of seizures and citations and arrests, we’re still seeing the proliferation of this. So I’m asking for the help and support and help of the public.”
Speed ​​bumps being installed as city officials hope to reduce crimes. A median strip and fencing to discourage people from climbing the arches could also be installed on a temporary basis soon, according to Moore.
The $588 million bridge, which opened to the public on July 10, connecting Boyle Heights and the downtown art district, was closed for the third night in a row Sunday night due to what the Los Angeles Police Department described as “illegal activity.” ‘.
According to Moore, police have made more than 57 citations and seized six vehicles in the past four days.
Moore said the bridge has become known as a place where people come to “find their 15 minutes of fame” by climbing on the bridge’s infrastructure, interrupting traffic and posting demonstrations on social media.
According to Moore, the majority of illegal activities are committed by people who are not from the surrounding community.
Video on social media from last weekend showed drivers spinning their wheels and performing other antics on the bridge, leaving the sidewalk scars.
Some people even crawled on the ribbon-like arches along the bridge to get a higher view of the action.
Other isolated incidents included a man being clipped in the middle of the bridge last Wednesday and another shadow boxer wearing a red cape. The driver of a car involved in an accident on July 18 left the damaged Dodge Charger on the bridge and fled on foot.
The incidents are pulling “finite resources, limited resources away from more pressing tasks to ensure the safety of this location,” Moore said.
In total, police have documented 657 street takeovers in Los Angeles so far this year. They have made 352 felony arrests, seized 439 cars and issued more than 2,000 fines related to street racing and takeovers.
The opening of the Sixth Street Viaduct marked a major milestone in a construction project that began in 2016 to replace a 1932 vintage structure.
The original bridge was an iconic Los Angeles landmark, featured in films like “Grease” and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” but its aging structure deteriorated, leaving it seismically unhealthy.
CBSLA staff
