LAPD Newton Station Vandalized After Officer-Involved Shooting; Police Union Blames 'Unruly Mob'
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - A Los Angeles police station was vandalized sometime overnight Friday after police say dozens of people gathered to mourn the death of a suspect killed in an officer-involved shooting earlier this week.
Police tell CBSLA as many as 40 people showed up at the LAPD Newton Station and stayed there for about an hour before dispersing.
Graffiti was discovered Friday morning on the wall at the station, police said.
Images shared by the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) showed the words "Justice For Alex Flores" tagged on the station's door. Another photo shared online apparently showed the phrase "KILLER COPS" written in spray paint.
The incident involved "an unruly mob [that] descended upon" the station and "tried to gain entry" and dozens of officers were dispatched to the station to help control the mob, according to Jamie McBride, director of the LAPPL.
No arrests have been made.
"What message does it send if we let vandals openly damage a police station?" said McBride. "What is to prevent the next group from gaining entry to the station and attacking officers and residents in the lobby? These types of incidents must not be tolerated."
Officers say a group wrote the graffiti during a protest at the police station.
"People can have the right to have a peaceful protest," said McBride. "But, when it turns into a mob mentality then that creates problems." The graffiti has since been cleaned up.
