The Los Angeles Police Department arrested a man on Tuesday who was caught on surveillance cameras and cut down several trees in downtown Los Angeles with a chainsaw.
When residents discovered a wooden massacre of properties owned by South Avenue and other cities over the weekend, residents’ vandals sparked great conspiracy and anger. There are many trees cut off on the base, while others cut a few feet above the sidewalk, some still connected to their trunks only through a single bark.
Before 5 p.m. Tuesday, LAPD issued a community alert showing a photo of the suspect, which described him as a man in his 40s. About 90 minutes later, police announced that he was detained on suspicion of felony vandalism. Authorities did not release his name immediately.
The man was charged at 3:40 p.m. on Friday with trees near 1550 W 8th Street; approaching 350 S Grand Avenue at 1:22 a.m. Saturday with police saying near 300 Tredwell Street in an unknown time. Other locations of the fallen trees are still under study.
Many of the trees cut down by the vandals appear to be Indian laurel figs.
Ask anyone with information to contact the Central burglary case. Gutierrez was in (213) 924-8930 during regular working hours and Central Region Observation Commander (213) 486-6618.
Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement to ABC7 News that the situation was “really incomprehensible” and that public works staff were working to replace the trees as soon as possible.
Trees offer many benefits to urban areas. They clean the air, replenish groundwater, capture stormwater runoff, slow down street deterioration, and have been proven to reduce crime.
They also produce very useful cooling effects. On a hot day, the shaded temperature under the canopy can be 10 degrees cooler than direct sunlight. A study by the UCLA Luskin Center found that shadows can reduce thermal stress in the body by 25% to 30% throughout the day.
Staff writer Suzanne Rust contributed to the report.
