Dodgers fans takeover the Los Angeles Streets
Fans took to the streets of Los Angeles to celebrate the Dodgers' historic World Series win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Nov. 1, resulting in city-wide property destruction and a volley of less-lethal munitions.
At 5:45 p.m., the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) issued a tactical alert as a precaution for Game 7. They set road closures throughout L.A. and put a command post on Douglas Street and Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park — near where people torched a Metro bus during last year’s championship celebration.
Officers arrived at their command post in Echo Park with riot gear, kinetic projectile launchers and mounted officers. Patrons of the Douglas restaurant booed in unison at an LAPD horse trailer as it drove past, and they heckled the cops after they issued a dispersal order at 7:46 p.m.
The LAPD repeated the dispersal order multiple times, but people didn’t leave; the Dodgers were trailing 2-4 midway through Game 7 of a back-and-forth World Series. So the police declared an unlawful assembly at 8:02 p.m. during extra innings.
As the Dodgers recorded the last out, the LAPD moved into the Douglas and pushed the crowd eastbound towards the intersection of Echo Park Avenue and Sunset Boulevard, where Dodgers fans gathered to celebrate. They lit fireworks, held a street takeover and consumed copious amounts of alcohol until the police set a rolling skirmish line.
Mounted officers shouted “move,” as they charged the crowd and pushed people eastbound down Sunset Boulevard. Police dodged glass bottles being thrown at them and fired kinetic projectiles in the direction the object came from — at times, they shot bystanders in the back.
People ran, but the police followed, spreading the centralized celebration throughout Echo Park. Graffiti artists vandalized walls, Waymos and a Metro bus as they fled;
Some people left after the LAPD utilized tear gas, but circled back to Echo Park Avenue through the side streets. They avoided the entire show of force by walking one block over.
Approximately 350 to 400 people celebrated the World Series win downtown on the intersection of Ninth and Hope streets, according to the LAPD Central Division X account. But many street takeovers occurred.
People vandalized Metro buses, threw fireworks at passing cars and held street takeovers where people were hit by vehicles doing donuts.
The incident commander authorized the use of less-lethal munitions and tear gas after people launched fireworks and bottles at officers, according to the LAPD Central Division X account.
Officers bounced from incident to incident, with the commotion subsiding around 2 a.m.
The win puts the team in a tie for third for MLB teams with the most championships, marking the third in six years and the ninth in franchise history. The Dodgers World Series parade is Monday, Nov. 3 at 11 a.m., followed by a rally at Dodger Stadium at 12:15 p.m.