A group of East Los Angeles residents say their evening of celebration around the Dodgers World Series berth quickly turned into chaos when they were tear gassed by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officers over the weekend.
Deputies, on the other hand, say they responded to the area after learning of a street takeover at the intersection of Atlantic Boulevard and Olympic Boulevard.
Residents held a news conference Wednesday, accusing deputies of being too aggressive during their celebrations and demanding accountability from the department. Deputies say they were just prioritizing the public’s safety.
“This is deeply unfair, and they must be held accountable,” one community member said at the conference.
SkyCal flew over the scene of the sideshow-slash-celebration Sunday night around 10 p.m., showing a crowd of people spread out at the intersection as officers threw some sort of tear projectiles in their direction.
“Our communities deserve safety, not the constant threat of violence from those sworn to protect us,” said Lorraine Quiñones, a local mother and teacher who was in the crowd at the event.
They and other community members held up what they described as evidence of the projectiles at their conference, claiming that the deputies arrived on the scene without warning and began shooting what they said was tear gas in their direction, disrupting what should have been a celebration was undermined. .
“I started feeling it in my eyes, I started coughing, I immediately covered it up,” Gabriel Quiroz Jr. said. from the Centro Community Service Organization.
He, along with several others, say they are still feeling the after-effects of the impact.
“We’ve had people affected there … kids who have gone to the hospital and haven’t been able to go to school all week,” he said. “That’s why they don’t want to say anything.”
Video from the same intersection shows previous moments of celebration as Dodger fans of all ages walk through the intersection waving flags. At one point you see cars burning out in the middle of the road while fireworks explode above your head.
In response to the claims, LASD officials released a statement.
“In anticipation of the large crowd, deputies closed several intersections and hundreds of vehicles began to fill Whittier Boulevard. Several vehicles began driving erratically doing ‘burnouts’ and ‘doughnuts’ while surrounded by pedestrians,” the release said. statement from the department. “Due to public safety concerns, multiple dispersal orders were issued under Criminal Code 409 by both the LASD Aero Unit and ground crew. As skirmish lines were established by LASD and CHP personnel to disperse the crowd, individuals in the crowd began throwing rocks, frozen water bottles and fireworks at deputies and the CHP officers.”
They say they managed to get the “unruly crowd” to comply by 11:30 p.m.
Quiroz Jr. says their response is the latest example in a string of East LA Sheriff’s Station officers assaulting residents.
“There has been a long line of systematic violence going on, and that is why we have mobilized against the sheriff’s office,” he said. “We want accountability. We want things to change.”
Community members say if the Dodgers ultimately win the World Series, they will return to the city streets to celebrate another victory, hoping for the best.
