LOS ANGELES — City officials took a first step Friday toward securing an unfinished complex of high-rise towers in downtown Los Angeles that were vandalized with graffiti and used for dangerous social media stunts after the developer ran out of money.
Workers began removing scaffolding protecting a temporary walkway, which officials say helped intruders enter the property.
“They were able to hide in the walkway and force their way in by ripping holes in the fence,” said police Sgt. said Gordon Helper.
The next step will be to install a better fence at the project, which draws significant police resources and where city leaders fear someone will die, especially after videos on social media showed people BASE jumping — parachuting from the towers.
“We cannot allow anyone to get hurt, self-harm or even fatally die here,” Helper said. “We don’t want this to happen here.”
The towers were to house a hotel and luxury apartments, but the project stalled in 2019 when the Beijing-based developer ran out of money, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The extent of the tagging and vandalism began to draw attention in recent weeks and became a social shame in a high-profile area that includes the Crypto.com Arena – home to major sports teams and events such as the Grammys – and the Los Angeles Convention Center . and the LA Live dining and events complex.
City Councilman Kevin de León, who represents the area, has said a developer is needed to complete construction. He told a recent council meeting that, according to conservative estimates, it would cost $500 million to purchase the property and $1.5 billion to complete it.
