Dennis RomeroFollowing yesterday's Occupy L.A. protests downtown, a vandal “stabbed” the tires of “several” police cars outside the LAPD's Central Division station overnight, cops said.
However, nothing indicates the slashing was done on the part of an occupier scorned.
Rather, it sounds to us like a crazy person was on the loose. And more cars were hit along Broadway and Spring Streets. An LAPD statement says:
The spree occurred between midnight this morning (November 18, 2011) and about 2 AM. Cars affected were parked along Broadway and Spring Streets, between 6th and 8th Streets.
An LAPD 'black-and-white' with a slashed tire.; Credit: LAPD
Surveillance video from Broaday and Fifth Street revealed that a woman wearing a hoodie might have been the culprit, according to police.
View LAPD Tire Slashing in a larger map
Even though the police station at 251 E. Sixth St. is a few blocks from Broadway, cops suspect the same person was at work slashing tires not far from the Occupy encampment at City Hall.
Slash attack for this plain clothes Crown Vic.; Credit: LAPD
Lt. Paul Vernon:
It's too much of a coincidence that all the police cars parked in front of the station had flat tires too, so we suspect it's part of the same spree. Given that, I would expect that we might get some reports of flattened tires near Main Street too.
Police think other victims of this slasher might be out there. Call the LAPD if your tires were hit of if you think you know who the suspect is: 213-972-1242.
[Added]: Vernon told the Weekly late today that 10 cars total, including six cop cars, were hit.
He said City Hall occupiers usually don't venture that far south, either:
It's a stretch to try to attribute this to people at Occupy. They're seven blocks north and stay in their encampment. They don't come down here. But anything's possible.
[@dennisjromero/djromero@laweekly.com/@LAWeeklyNews]
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.