Cat And Mouse Game Continues In High-Rise Targeted By Vandals

LOS ANGELES, CA — Vandals who tagged almost all 25 floors of a Downtown Los Angeles skyscraper garnered worldwide attention with their brazen graffiti towering over Sunday's Grammys ceremony at Crypto.com area.

Among those who took notice? The Los Angeles Police Department.

Authorities announced the arrests Wednesday of four men suspected of trespassing at the under-construction downtown Los Angeles high-rise.

The arrests happened 1 p.m. at the building at 12th and South Flower streets.

"Due to the dangerous nature of the building under construction, and the crimes being committed, the Department worked with building management to obtain a trespass order," The Los Angeles Police Department announced said. "LAPD Metropolitan Division officers assisted uniformed patrol officers with a search of a vacant building at the 1100 block of Figueroa Street which has recently been the target of vandalism, trespass, burglary and other crimes," police said in a statement. "During the search of the building, four suspects were located inside the building, arrested and transported to Central Community Police Station and booked."

Al four suspects were booked on suspicion of tresspassing and three were released and the fourth suspect was held for a pending traffic violation warrant.

The suspects are Sebastian Gutierrez, 29, Andrew Rios, 30, Mauro Aguilar, 35, and Jessie Carreon, 44, police said.

The arrests follow two earlier ones last week. Two people were also arrested last week at the building on suspicion of trespassing.

The tagging happened Jan. 30. Los Angeles police were called to respond to a report of vandalism at a construction site in the 1200 block of South Figueroa Street. A tactical flight officer with Los Angeles Police Department's Air Support Division observed over a dozen suspects in the building, trespassing and possibly spray-painting on the building, according to police. by the time additional patrol units arrived, most of the suspects had fled. Police arrested the two that remained.

On Thursday, high-rise vandals struck again.

Officers responded to a call for vandalism at 12:52 p.m at the abandoned luxury skyscraper in the Oceanwide Plaza development under construction in the area of 11th and Flower streets. An on- site security officer told police a group of suspects had been spray-painting on the 30th floor of the building and had since drove away.

The officers located the vehicle and gave the driver commands to stop, however, the driver failed to yield, according to police. The vehicle was again located, and a traffic stop was conducted a short distance away. The driver was cited on suspicion of failing to yield to an officer. The passenger was questioned and released.

The development, known as the Oceanwide Plaza, a planned $1 billion multi-use complex in downtown Los Angeles, began construction some years ago, but stalled since 2019 when Beijing-based developer Oceanwide Holdings could no longer finance it. The complex would have brought online housing, hotel-use and retail stores, to build up the area near the Crypto.com Arena.

During Friday's L.A. City Council meeting, Los Angeles City Councilman Kevin de León, whose 14th District includes the buildings struck by taggers introduced a motion that, if approved, would direct city departments to initiate the process of cleaning up Oceanwide Plaza, and the public sidewalks around it.

"Make no mistake, we will use all available legal remedies, including a lien on the property to correct their (the developer) neglect," de León said at an early morning news conference on the corner of Hope and 12th streets. "Rest assured, we will get compliance."

Anyone with information about the case was urged to call LAPD Detective Lee at 213-833-3750, or 877-LAPD-247. Tipsters may also call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS, or use the website www.lacrimestoppers.org.

City News Service contributed to this report.