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Photos: Lakers 'Celebration' Damage Found Around Downtown
If you were in the Southpark area of downtown last night, it smelled of things burning. After the isolated incidents of chaos, a survey of the area found light damage just about everywhere with pockets of small businesses unfortunately hit by looters and those Fakers fans running amok for no reason than just doing that (CurbedLA has photos of a ransacked Lexus and blogdowntown has shots during and after, too).
Wednesday's parade is expected to cost the city of Los Angeles $1 million (another million will be spent by the Lakers), but we're sure last night's police response, the aftermath cleanup and local economic damages will add up just as high.
"Officers tonight used minimal levels of force..behaving very professionally," Chief William Bratton told Fox 11, calling the the revelers "knuckleheads" and "cowards." Eight officers were injured. After the 2000 Lakers win, which prompted riots, the LAPD said they had prepared themselves for last night.
Twelve government vehicles, six of which were Metro buses, were also damaged, reports the LA Times. One of those buses had every single window broken, including the front one. All passengers and the driver were reportedly unharmed.
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