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Photos: People Celebrating/Rioting over Lakers Win
Around 700 people gathered outside the Staples Center tonight to celebrate the Lakers' win in Orlando. Mostly peaceful, but it only took a small group of fools to ruin it for everyone. Small fires, fireworks, thrown rocks, bottles and flares, street signs torn down, attempts at turning over police cars cued the LAPD to try to end festivities sooner than anyone had hoped. As Larry Welk said on KCAL9, "they're sort of leaving a path of destruction."
The official celebration parade will take place on Wednesday morning at 11 a.m. from the Staples Center at 12th & Figueroa to the Coliseum.
UPDATES:
- Metro reports that Blue Line is shut down between the 7th/Metro and Grand stations due to revelers reportedly placing trash cans on the tracks. The tracks were closed at 9:30 p.m. and could be opened as early as 10:20 p.m., according to the LA County Sheriff's Department.
- Later, a bus window was smashed at 6th and Hill. No injuries and the bus went back to the division yard, a Metro spokesperson says.
- As of 11 p.m., Blue Line not operating at the 7th/Metro, Grand, San Pedro stations., Trains running between Washington and Long Beach, according to Metro.
- No one was injured on Metro Bus Line 33, which was stopped by revelers, who broke every single window, including the front one. It was stopped under the freeway near Venice and Figueroa
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- A shell station at Olympic and Grand was looted.
- Looted sneakers store The HOLY GRAIL on Pico at Flower
- Coffee Bean at 9th and Hope, people reportedly trying to break windows
- As of 10:45 p.m., Blue Line Service was stopped between 7th/Metro and Washington Stations. Previously, it was only between 7th/Metro and Pico stations.
- The following bus lines are affected: 102, 60, 760, 18, 720, 460, 111, 115, 611, 81, 30, 33, 28, 66
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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