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by: Lily Dallow
Skateboard Event Turns Chaotic in Downtown Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES — What began as a skateboarding celebration in downtown L.A. spiraled into late-night chaos Saturday, as crowds clashed with police and vandalized a driverless taxi, according to authorities.
Police said the massive, unsanctioned gathering — reportedly promoted by a skateboarding magazine — drew hundreds of skaters and spectators to the area around 1st Street and Hill Street.
Videos posted to social media showed a Waymo robotaxi surrounded by people who smashed its windows, struck it with skateboards, and climbed onto the vehicle as others cheered. In other clips, skateboarders charged toward officers forming a police line across the intersection.
The LAPD declared a modified tactical alert as the situation escalated, saying bottles and broken skateboard parts were thrown at officers. At one point, an individual on a skateboard allegedly tried to ram into a police line “at speed,” the department’s Central Division said on X.
Officers deployed “less-lethal” tactics to clear the streets and documented damage to property and vehicles throughout the area.
The Los Angeles Fire Department treated at least one injured person, though their condition was not immediately known.
Traffic around the downtown Civic Center was shut down overnight as police urged the public to avoid the area.
Authorities said the incident remains under investigation. The event’s organizer has not been identified, and it is unclear how the gathering was promoted or permitted.
…(Luis Zuniga, Vanessa Garcia and Sam Bader contributed to this report.)
