2 arrested hours after group breaks into abandoned graffiti-covered high-rise complex in downtown LA

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Two people were arrested Wednesday morning at the site of an abandoned, graffiti-covered high-rise in downtown Los Angeles, hours after a group broke into the complex that has gained notoriety as an eyesore.

Police officers surrounded a building complex across from L.A. Live in the morning hours following the break-in.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department, up to 8 people, many of them possibly juveniles, broke into the complex near Cryto.com Arena late Tuesday night. They were still believed to be inside several hours later.

Just after 8 a.m., a juvenile was arrested at the scene. An adult was taken into custody shortly afterward. An officer told ABC7 that they will likely be booked, cited and released.

This comes just days after the city installed a new metal fence around the Oceanwide Plaza in effort to deter trespassing. The unfinished towers have become a magnet for taggers after the buildings were abandoned by the developers that went bankrupt.

An LAPD sergeant told Eyewitness News there’s no official security in place, but officers have been stationed around the property around the clock for more than two weeks.