Los Angeles police arrested two people Wednesday morning outside an unfinished downtown skyscraper that has become a magnet for tagging, with more than 25 floors covered in graffiti, authorities said.
The two men were arrested after a group of about five people were seen running toward the Oceanwide Plaza location in the 1100 block of Figueroa Street around 2 a.m. The group jumped a fence and entered the unfinished skyscraper, Los Angeles Officer Rosario Cervantes said. The police department said.
The two men were not immediately identified, but Los Angeles police officials said they were 20 and 24 years old.
The two were booked for trespassing, Rosario said.
Officers responded to the scene and set up a perimeter using a loudspeaker to urge people inside the building to exit.
Video from OnScene showed police surrounding Oceanwide Plaza, a $1 billion mixed-use project that has been mothballed since 2019. From the ground, police pointed a spotlight toward the side of the building, which was mostly covered in colorful, oversized lettering. Of the signs who infiltrated the dying temple to add their own work.
The quick police response marks a stark change from a few weeks ago, when the building underwent a graffiti makeover. People interviewed by The Times in early February said they found no security when they jumped the fence into the building, which is located across the street from L.A. Live's Crypto.com Arena.
Since then, LAPD officials say they have met with the property's management company to discuss how to better secure the building from intruders.
City News Service reported that city officials last week began installing more fences around the building in an effort to curb intruders.
Several people have also been cited or arrested this month. On February 6, the Los Angeles Police Department announced the arrest of four people after police searched the project.
The previous week, police arrested two Los Angeles men on trespassing charges after receiving a call reporting vandalism at the location. A third person, a driver believed to be involved, was also cited.
