A shoe store was looted and a Metro bus was vandalized during a night of Dodgers World Series title celebrations that turned unruly in downtown Los Angeles and led to several arrests.
Video showed people rushing out of the shoe store with arms full of boxes, fireworks thrown toward police who responded to the scene and a Metro bus covered in graffiti after the Dodgers’ win in Game 5 over the Yankees in New York.
The Los Angeles Police Department issued several dispersal orders after some businesses were looted.
“We know you want to celebrate the Dodgers World Series win, but please do not head to the downtown LA area,” the LAPD posted on social media. There are many streets closed in the downtown LA area and traffic will be heavily impacted. Please celebrate responsibly.
A Footlocker store that sells Nike products in the area was boarded up earlier in the week in anticipation of unruly crowds, but people broke through the plywood and windows. Several rushed out of the store carrying piles of shoeboxes.
At Ninth and Flower streets, a dispersal order was issued due to a large crowd that gathered in the street. The windows of a downtown LA building where the Fogo de Chao Brazilian Steakhouse is located were tagged with graffiti.
In Echo Park, a bus was set on fire. The bus operator and passenger were able to get off the bus before it was set on fire.
Twelve people were arrested in connection with the World Series celebrations, police said Thursday morning. They were arrested for failure to disperse, receiving stolen property and commercial burglary.
A Dodgers victory parade is scheduled for Friday in downtown Los Angeles.
Fan celebrating the Dodgers World Series win burn down a bus in Echo Park. Lauren Coronado reports for Today in LA on Thursday Oct. 31, 2024.
The World Series title is the team’s first in a full season in 36 years and the icing on top of a season full of promise with the addition of two-time MVP Shohei Ohtani to an already potent lineup alongside fellow MVPs Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts.
The 2020 season was shortened by the pandemic and played under several major MLB changes, including neutral-site bubbles and other safety precautions.
The triumph capped a series of Dodgers domination. briefly interrupted with a Game 4 offensive outburst by the Yankees. After Freeman’s dramatic extra-inning walk-off home run in the series’ opening game and strong pitching performances from Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler in games 2 and 3, history was on LA’s side entering Game 4, but the Yankees rallied for an 11-4 win.
An inning of Yankees miscues doomed New York’s bid for an historic comeback in Game 5.
All 24 previous teams that had taken a 3-0 World Series lead had gone on to win the Series. Teams with a 3-0 Series lead have won the World Series in Game 4 21 times with the three exceptions being the Baltimore Orioles in 1970 against the Cincinnati Reds; the Yankees in 1937 against the New York Giants; and Philadelphia Athletics in 1910 against the Chicago Cubs.
Celebrations also broke out after Game 2 of the series. Deputies responded to an East LA neighborhood after Saturday’s win following reports of a street takeover and fireworks.
In a social media post over the weekend, the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department encouraged fans to cheer on the team and to celebrate when they win, but that post came with a warning about vandalism, unlawful assembly a public intoxication.
“Unruly, illegal behavior will not be tolerated,” the sheriff’s department said online. “This is a time for community pride and unity as we support our home team; however, it is essential that it is done safely.”
