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By Melissa Hernandez
Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES — For the third consecutive night, the Los Angeles Police Department said on Twitter that it was forced to shut down the 6th Street Viaduct, saying it was due to “questionable activity.”
An LAPD spokesperson on Monday could not confirm the specifics of what took place Sunday that caused the bridge to be closed again.
Car debris from a takeover crash remains on the 6th Street Viaduct on Tuesday, July 19, 2022 in Los Angeles, CA. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)
The 3,500-foot bridge that connects Boyle Heights to downtown Los Angeles has been open to traffic for just two weeks, but it’s quickly become a popular spot for street takeovers, illegal racing, dangerous stunts and vandalism.
On Friday, a driver rear-ended a pickup truck that was illegally parked in a “no parking” zone on the bridge, leading to several people being escorted off the bridge by police. Within two hours of the bridge reopening, about 200 people gathered for a street takeover, with some spectators climbing over safety barriers trying to catch a better view from the top of the bridge’s arches.
On Saturday, the bridge was closed off again after more than 250 people gathered at the viaduct the night before for a street takeover, which ended in violence and vandalism.
“Unfortunately, we’ve entered another evening where the 6th St Viaduct had to be closed due to illegal activity,” read a tweet from LAPD’s Central Area Division. “The day began with community residents holding signs in the middle of the bridge to ‘RESPECT THE BRIDGE.’ Let’s listen!”
In a statement last week, Eastside Councilman Kevin de Leon said the city is looking into adding cameras on the bridge in an attempt to identify those participating in street takeovers and other illegal activity there.
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