Metro bus, workers trapped in one of three violent takeovers on LA streets in 24 hours

A crowd of people climbed on top of a Metro bus and stopped it from moving when the road was blocked in the Harbor Gateway area at the weekend.

At 11:45 p.m. Saturday, the Los Angeles Police Department responded to multiple calls involving people riding on top of a bus at the intersection of Alondra Boulevard and Figueroa Street, according to a department spokeswoman. The police dispersed the crowd, took two cars and seven parking lots.

The seizure was one of three similar incidents the LAPD responded to in less than 24 hours this weekend.

Video footage shot by news organization OnScene.TV shows more than a dozen people standing on top of the Metro bus, which is unable to move forward as a crowd of more than 100 people block the intersection. People can be seen running up the bus and sitting on the front bumper as the driver stares in front of the interior windows with graffiti.

The bus was transporting Metro employees back to their bus section when it got stuck, according to a Metro spokesperson. It could carry members of the public.

“Mayor Bass has zero tolerance for this type of crime, especially when it hits a bus carrying hard-working Angelenos home after a long day,” said a spokesperson for his office in a statement Monday in The Times newspaper. “We have increased visibility and enforcement – that will continue.”

Earlier this month, the mayor announced that the LAPD would use resources to prevent and respond to street seizures in downtown LA following an incident where a dispute arose over the seizure of groceries from a high-rise apartment. The lobby’s windows were smashed during the battle, and at least one person was sent to hospital.

During the takeover of the Harbor Gateway area, people could be seen hanging from cars and spinning donuts at the intersection amid clouds of burning rubber smoke. Onlookers filmed the parade on their phones, and some people set off fireworks at intersections and nearby streets.

The LAPD cleared the crowd and allowed the Metro bus and its passengers to flee the area. The police then arrested and towed two vehicles from the scene.

But the night did not end there.

At 2:50 a.m. Monday, police responded to multiple calls for a roadblock within six miles of the intersection of Western Avenue and Century Boulevard in South LA, according to a department spokeswoman. The police removed that seizure around 3:30 am and took one car.

Sunday evening’s street takeover on Broadway in downtown LA between Adams and Washington boulevards drew a large crowd as people in cars and motorcycles performed stunts.

(OnScene.TV)

OnScene.TV also captured video of the third street takeover, which happened in South LA around 7:35 pm on Sunday. Footage shows dozens of cars and motorcycles taking Broadway from Adams Boulevard to Washington Boulevard as people blast music.

Police helicopters circle overhead while LAPD cruisers move in and clear the scene.

Street pick-ups have exploded in popularity during the violence as people use quiet streets to meet and perform car stunts. They have remained a common, disturbing and sometimes deadly phenomenon ever since.