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Metro bus torched, vandalism, burglaries in LA as Dodgers win the World Series

Vaseline October 31, 2024

Ecstatic fans took to the streets in Los Angeles after the Dodgers won the franchise’s eighth World Series title, but the joy overnight turned into scattered unrest in downtown and nearby areas, where vehicles were set on fire stabbed and businesses broken into.

Crowds gathered near LA Live to celebrate, sometimes setting off fireworks. The LAPD issued a dispersal order, but it took several hours to clear the streets.

Several businesses were broken into or vandalized downtown, although exact details were not available. Police said some in the crowd were “hostile” and threw objects at officers. Videos showed people stealing from a Nike Jordan store on Broadway and cars doing donuts at intersections to loud cheers from bystanders.

A Metro bus was set on fire in Echo Park.

An arson investigator with the Los Angeles Fire Department takes photos of an MTA bus that was set on fire in Echo Park.

“Metro is disappointed and angered by the senseless act of vandalism on one of our buses following the Dodgers World Series victory earlier this evening,” the transportation agency said in a statement.

By the end of the night, police had arrested two people for felony failure to disperse, four people for misdemeanor counts of receiving stolen property and six people for commercial burglary, officials said early Thursday.

“Less-lethal munitions were deployed for crowd control against several hostile and violent crowds,” LAPD Officer Drake Madison said in an email. “Detectives will be conducting investigations in the coming days to try and identify those responsible for the above crimes.”

Downtown has previously been the scene of unrest after both the Lakers and Dodgers won championships.

There were numerous other celebrations in the city on Wednesday evening, with most enjoying the historic victory without incident.

The Dodgers became the first Major League Baseball team to win a World Series-clinching game while trailing by five runs, coming back to beat the New York Yankees 7–6 in Game 5.

Fans flooded Whittier Boulevard in East LA, dancing, setting off fireworks and singing. Neighbors banged pots and pans on their porches as a chorus of fireworks, cheers and sirens rang out in Highland Park. And in Little Tokyo, fans gathered at the Shohei Ohtani mural to celebrate the beloved player who this year became the first in history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season.

The city’s sheer fireworks display rivaled those of the Fourth of July, as Los Angeles City Hall and the “D” on the Hollywood sign were lit up in Dodger blue to celebrate the victory.

A man from an open sunroof of a car waves a Dodgers flag at night

Authorities had closed off some streets in East LA and downtown in hopes of preventing some of the more intense festivities that took place when the Dodgers won in 2020.

Nevertheless, the energy of the fans could not be limited.

In East Los Angeles, fireworks began to explode as Walker Buehler struck out Alex Verdugo to win the Series. People poured out of their homes and headed toward Whittier Boulevard, the Eastside’s historic corridor.

Dodgers players celebrate in the locker room after winning the World Series. Game 5

“This is so incredible!” shouted Jessica Gutierrez, 33-year-old Boyle Heights resident. “We’ve waited so long for this, and you just have to be with all your fellow Dodger fans.”

The LA County Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol had closed the intersection of Whittier and Atlantic boulevards in an attempt to impede cruising, but to no avail: cars merely made a U-turn on Hillview Avenue.

Near Hoefner Avenue in front of the Commerce Center, fans stood in the middle of Whittier Boulevard to record the passing parade. Although it was too busy to do full spinouts, cars still spun their tires to burn rubber, to the cheers of the crowd.

“Oh my God, that was the craziest game I’ve ever seen,” one fan told KCAL News at a viewing party in downtown LA. “We are back on top after 2020 and finally get our parade!”

The Dodgers parade scheduled for Friday will be the first in 36 years after hopes for a communal celebration in 2020 were hampered by the COVID-19 lockdown.

“Tonight we showed the world that Los Angeles is made of CHAMPIONS,” LA Mayor Karen Bass wrote in a statement about X. “Congratulations to the Dodgers on tonight’s win. Looking forward to seeing you back in LA!”

After falling behind 5-0 after three innings on Wednesday evening at Yankee Stadium, the team made a stunning five-run comeback in the fifth. After falling behind again, they rallied again in the eighth.

“It was nerve-wracking! I was so nervous, but we kept the faith, and luckily everything went the way we wanted,” one fan told KCAL News during a viewing party in Pasadena. “I’m just happy and excited that we won.”