Graffiti towers are stretching resources, LAPD says after BASE jumping stunt

Unfinished tower blocks in Los Angeles that have become a destination for vandals, graffiti artists and BASE jumping thrill-seekers have cost 3,000 hours of police time so far, authorities said Tuesday.

LAPD Chief Michael Moore told a news conference Tuesday that the Oceanview Plaza Towers in a busy downtown area of the city had "strained our deployment."

"We have called in some officers on an overtime basis, so that we can provide for these added patrols or station them at that site to deter vandals and others from gaining access to it while also ensuring that we meet the minimum deployment requirements for stations across the city," he said.

He was speaking after footage went viral of a man parachuting from the top of one of the towers on Monday, prompting an urgent safety warning from city mayor Karen Bass.

Video shared on Instagram appeared to show someone paragliding from the top of the towers.

"People being in that building is extremely dangerous," Bass told NBC 4 LA. "I guarantee you tragedy will take place there if that place is not boarded up quickly,"

The towers are being monitored 24 hours a day by police patrols, after it emerged that 30 floors of the towers had been covered in graffiti, with some 18 people being arrested there since Feb. 1.

The towers began construction in 2015, but by 2018 money had ran out and building work stopped in 2019 after the developer went out of business, NBC 4 LA reported.

"We do think that unfortunately it has become an iconic location to draw and for nefarious acts," Moore said, referring to the graffiti. He added that some of those arrested were from out of town.

Moore said the owner of the tower had gone bankrupt but that efforts were underway to recoup the costs of the extra policing.

Next week, the LA City Council will consider a motion to spend $3 million on installing a new fence, clearing debris and possibly hiring private security guards to alleviate the pressure on the police force.

Councilman Kevin De León, who represents the area and tabled the motion, told NBC 4 LA he had attempted to contact the China-based developer through phone, email and social media but had not managed to make contact.